


Lost and Found

by Rapmon2148



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Cheerleader Waverly Earp, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, It gets better I promise, Mock Trial, Model UN, Past Sexual Abuse, Slow Burn, WayHaught Au, Wrestler Nicole Haught, bi-phobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:33:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 56,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23119282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rapmon2148/pseuds/Rapmon2148
Summary: In a crowd of one thousand meet two hearts creating one extraordinary story. Waverly Earp has always spent her head buried in books and school constantly searching for the answers to all her questions. Who knew that she would (literally) run into the biggest question of her life? Nicole Haught was a book filled with words that she couldn't ever get enough of. Was this the thing that her heart had been pulling her towards for so long? And if so, at what cost? Lost and Found is a story of finding your voice leading you back to the place you want to call home. Maybe it's time to stop thinking of the 'what ifs' and take the jump; separating you from simply a life you are living to living your life.
Relationships: Jeremy Chetri/Robin, Waverly Earp & Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp/Wynonna Earp, Xavier Dolls/Wynonna Earp
Comments: 41
Kudos: 155





	1. Say What Now?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, I'm a newbie earper but a die hard fan. I made this fanfic in honor of some great inspiration I've gotten after reading hundreds of others. I don't really expect this to get big though. Personally, I just wanted a place to create a story that shows the pure, sweet love of WayHaught. I'm going to try to have a schedule for this fanfic posted soon in chapter 2 (thinking of making it every Saturday Night?) Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story that's about to unfold and thank you for taking the time to read this^*^

Finally, the 7th period bell rings sending Waverly hastily grabbing her bag bolting for the doors. As much as she loved school, STEM Physics was the absolute worst.

Speeding down the halls, her steps falter all over the place as she attempts to bring her bag in front of her so she could grab her position paper for Model UN. Unfortunately, credentialing presentations were the ONE thing you can’t fail before going to the spring convention. She continued to skim the paper, praying to god that she wouldn’t mess up her interview, turning down the halls bumping shoulders with the other 1,000 students in Purgatory High. Some grumble a bit before muttering  _ nerd _ under their breath until she fumbles for the door handle eyes still scanning her paper. Promptly forgetting that you couldn’t read and navigate at the same time which lead to her face smashing into the glass door. Well, almost.

Just as her face was about to hit the frame, it swung open making her head snap up to which she was met with a beautiful smile. She gulps and stops to adjust her glasses taking in the girl in front of her as words tumble from her lips.

“I-Uhm. Thank you...I can assure you I don’t normally run into doors. I’ve gotten pretty good at reading and walking by now.” Waverly winces at the clear awkwardness that comes out when suddenly her heart stops at a wonderfully gentle laugh.

“No, no. It’s fine, really. I just saw you charging through the halls and I thought you could use some help.” She flashes her dimples again making Waverly’s head feel a bit faint for whatever reason but she shakes it off.

“Either way, I’m glad you were there to stop me. Who knows what my G.A would’ve said if I came in with a bruise on my forehead.” Chuckling at the thought while the taller girl’s eyebrows quirk in confusion. “Model UN.” She quickly explained. “I have a presentation to give to my seniors so I can qualify for a board position.” With that her eyes widened, whipping out her watch for the time. “Shit! I’m already so late!” Quickly pulling herself together she prepares to scramble to Upper Commons where the meeting is held before stopping for a moment to turn back to the redhead. “Before I go, do you mind if you tell me your name?” The girl leans against the door frame, accentuating her flowing red locks glinting in the afternoon sunlight.

“Nicole. Nicole Haught.” The smaller one smiles looking down for a second. A warm sensation fills her chest as she meets her eyes. “Cool. I’m Waverly. Waverly Earp.”

“ _ Waverly. _ ” Nicole muses as if it rolls off her tongue like honey. With a tilt of her head she grins. “Nice to meet you Waves. I’ll see you around!” With that she turns and walks back leaving the brunette standing there for a second too long before snapping out of it, rushing off to her meeting.

* * *

“---The people of Guyana have already tried speaking out against the hate crimes on the LGBT+ community. It’s only a matter of whether the government will listen. As of right now, it’s in a state of corruption within the government making it hard to pass any laws which is why, even with UN sanctions, transgender women are attacked and sexually assulted frequently. There is no excuse for the prejudice that is allowed in Guyana especially when it is the only country in all of South America that deemed homosexuality illegal. It’s time that the UN stops treating this like a low class issue and calls upon developed nations to help support safe houses and resources for those who suffer from such injustice.”

Finally letting out a breath, Waverly nervously twists her fingers as the sound of quiet scribbling fills the room from the seniors sitting at the round table. 

“Well done Waverly. Maybe you  _ do _ have what it takes to be a committee chair next year.” Jeremy, states with an approving nod. “Perhaps you could finally replace _ Dolls  _ as the MUN secretariat.” Everyone in the room scoffs at the name. As a Junior, Xavier Dolls already managed to become the co-president of the MUN committee; dictating every person’s moves and roles. Jeremy among others were hoping someone would beat him in the re-election this year but with his popularity, he was the favorable candidate for next year too.

Looking down at the floor she lets out a small smile at their approval. “I just hope I can live up to you guys. I’ll be sure to have my resolution done by Tuesday, maybe add in a powerpoint…” 

“Cool. Cool. Hey, do you have somewhere to be? I mean, it’s fine if you do cuz it seems like your boyfriend’s waiting for you.” He gives a knowing look to her before she whips around to find Champ leaning against the door impatience written all over his face as he motions for her to wrap it up..

_ Right. He’s picking me up to go “study” at his place again.  _ She rubs at her temples letting out a breath knowing that like other times, it wouldn’t end up being the case. Turning back around she flashes an apologetic look. “Sorry guys, I swear I told him to come at 4:00...I hope we can pick this back up on Tuesday?”

“Definitely. Good work today Waverly.” She gives a small wave before heading towards the door shooting an annoyed look at Champ.

“Really? You just had to barge in half an hour early?”

“Oh come on. It wasn’t a big deal baby. I just stood there. Plus those guys all look like they have a stick up their ass. I was doing them a favor by the way cuz you’re rant about Africa was making my eyes roll back…” He smirks for a second. “Just make sure to bring that back to my place when we’re  _ studying _ .” Agitated, Waverly stops in her tracks.

“First of all Guyana is in South America. Secondly, the world doesn’t revolve around you, Champ! This was a really big presentation I needed to pitch them so they could possibly vote me on the board this term and you were being so rude!” Shaking off his grip on her waist, she storms off leaving him standing there confused.

“Wait! What about our plans?!” He yells down the halls as she continues forward without looking back.

“Whatever Champ. I’m heading home.” Turning the corner she picks up her pace before ramming face first into another body. Apologies run on the tip of her tongue stumbling around for the words when finally looking up to meet a familiar pair of warm brown eyes. The redhead grins with recognition.

“Well that’s a way to run into each other again...better than a door though.” Waverly stops for a bit taking in the sight in front of her. The hair that was once left long and wavy is now done in a french plait and head gear, all while wearing a uniform that hugs her hips  _ very  _ tightly in all the right places. Nicole smirks noticing the silence and leans towards her ear. “For someone so smart, you seem to be out of words.” she rolls off her tongue causing the smaller one to blink hard before blushing and looking away.

“I mean...I didn’t know that girls in Purgatory wrestle.” she mumbles, suddenly very conscious of her breath intake.

“Oh it’s fine. Personally, I didn’t mind it at all.” She grins as the brunette lets out a huff.

“Did you just finish practice?” She asks, trying to ignore the flex in the redhead’s muscles as she shifts her position.

“Yup. Just waiting for my partner to tape up the mats...speaking of which, how did your presentation go?” Nicole’s smile shines through making her heart tug just a bit... _ wait what? _

“Uh I think it went well. Er, at least, I hope it did...let’s just say they didn’t seem to be too fond of my asshole boyfriend.” For a second she catches what might be a slight shift in her gaze but it disappears with a tilt of her head.

“Asshole boyfriend huh? I can’t possibly be the only person who wants to tell you that you deserve better.”

“Well I mean, we’ve been dating for three years. It’s...comfortable I guess…” Pausing for a bit before shaking her head. “It’s just that, ugh. He gets  _ so  _ pissy at the thought of me being a competent intellectual. Can I not be head cheerleader and Model UN board member??” Nicole raises her eyebrows a bit.

“Head cheerleader and MUN...sounds like a whole lotta sexy to me.” setting off the comment with a wink, Waverly’s eyes widened causing her hands to twitch.

“Uhm anyways...we kinda got into a fight about that and I sorta need a ride home...do you mind---?...”

“No problem. Let me get out of this thing and I’ll drive you home.” She flashes those incredible dimples once again before taking a jog down the hall. The smaller one’s eyes manage to catch a glimpse of her toned calves before she takes a turn. She lets out a soft breath in a huff, slumping her shoulders against the wall.  _ Just what the hell is wrong with me? _

* * *

As Nicole pulled up to the Earp Homestead, a scowl grew on Waverly’s face as she spotted a figure waiting for her on the front porch.

_ Of course he would show up.  _ Crossing her arms she let out a huff. The redhead glances at the boy-man and then back to her before shutting off the engine.

“Champ Hardy? Really?” Waverly rolls her eyes.

“Small town, limited dating options...I’m sure you know how it goes.” Nicole opens her mouth like she’s about to say something but closes it. She then looks ahead and places her hand above the smaller girl’s; numbing the senses on her fingertips.

“I’m not going to tell you how to live your life. Hell, I’ve had enough people try to tell me how to live mine.” She says with a bittersweet quirk of her mouth that the brunette can’t quite place. “But I will say that it  _ is  _ your life and every second you spend on it is a unique one that you can’t get back...What I mean is...I hope he’s worth it.” Waverly looks into those beautiful eyes only to find sincerity and warmth. A silence falls between them before a bit of pink dusts Nicole’s cheeks causing her to quickly pull away her hands and reach for her phone.

“Anyways. Since we’re friends now, I might as well give you my number. Just in case you wanna talk or have me pick you up because of your sorry excuse of a boyfriend.” The smaller one smiled at that, handing her phone over to exchange numbers before stuffing it back her coat pocket. “Now go and make him apologize and make him squirm a bit while he does it. God knows that he won’t let it come easy.” Waverly throws her a playful look before stepping out of her car, watching as she drives out into the open road.


	2. A Night to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A cute glimpse into little study date...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I've been writing non-stop like crazy to make sure I can stay on top of this series. I know it's not much but I'd like to throw out a thank you to everyone who's subscribed, liked, commented, even read my little WayHaught story. I can't tell you guys how much it means to me when I see that this story already has a small handfull of followings and I fully intend to be loyal to every single one of you. In that regard, I would like to make it official that I have decided to make every Saturday my designated update day. I already have 4 chapters in the bank and fully intend on following through with this series. Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoy ^*^

As Waverly walks to the door, Champ’s already leaning against the balcony; his lips twisted with disdain.

“Who’s the gal pal that drove you home?” She stops in her tracks shooting him a glare.

“That  _ gal pal  _ is Nicole and she knows how to be a decent human being unlike you.” Champ rolls his eyes and pushes himself off the wall.

“Seriously Waves? Are we still fighting about this?”

“Yes! Yes we are still going to talk about this! Look. This isn’t just about one presentation. You do this all the time! First you guilt me into going to your games when I have a midterm the following night, tell me to research  _ your  _ portion of a group project we had a month to work on the week before it’s due, and you only text me when you want us to ‘study’ ”. 

“Well I’m  _ sorry _ I have to guilt you into spending time with me instead of some old books and for giving you an active sex life.” He says with a scowl, the sarcasm dripping into his voice.

Letting out a huff, Waverly crams the key into the lock shoving the front door open. “Just. Yeah. I can’t deal with this right now. Just go, I need space.”

Crossing his arms Champ stomps down the stairs in a huff slamming his truck door shut, tires screeching out of homestead. Shaking her head Waverly mutters to herself.  _ Great. Just the perfect way to end a day. _

* * *

Throwing herself onto her bed she allows herself to just lie there for a couple minutes before she had to start her calc homework.

Suddenly she feels her phone vibrate from her nightstand. Groaning she blindly fumbles for it before sitting straight up at seeing who the message was from.

**Nicole: Heyyy just wanted to make sure you were doing alright :)**

Her heart warms at the words as she smiles while carefully typing out her next words.

**Waverly: Yeah, I’m okay I guess. It’s just been a bit of a day ><**

**Nicole: You can say that again…**

**Waverly: Ughhh and I’m totally procrastinating on my resolution for Model UN rn...I’m kinda stuck on how to really solve a problem in a country that seems to be anti** **_everything_ **

**Nicole: Would it help if you could pitch your speech to me?**

**Nicole: Not that you have to! I was thinking that it might be good to have a fresh mind**

Waverly’s eyes widen a bit, her fingers freezing over the keys. No one had been interested in her work before. Not Wynonna, Chrissy, and sure as hell not Champ.

**Waverly: U sure…? It can be kinda boring...just a bunch of research and stuff**

Nicole’s response makes her heart quicken as the corners of her mouth press upwards suppressing a huge smile.

**Nicole: You talkin’ about humanity's struggles? Sounds like my jam. I’ll be there in 10 😉**

* * *

It was around 6:00 when Waverly saw the headlights of Nicole’s car shut off through the curtains in the living room. Jumping up from the couch, she rushed to the door yanking it open leaving Nicole standing there mid-knock. A grin grows on the redhead’s face beaming at Waverly’s adorable eagerness.

“Hey you! Looks like you’ve got one hell of a speech to show me.” She sets off with a wink causing the smaller girl to blush tugging at her hands behind her back.

“I-well. It’s just that- it’s not too often that someone wants to listen to me talk about school and stuff. Especially not worldly affairs and history.” She gestures Nicole to come in before shutting the door behind them.

“Well look no more cuz I’m all yours for the night.” Their eyes widen a bit before Nicole manages to stutter out. “You-you know...like in a non sexual kinda way…” This makes Waverly snort as she lets out a laugh finally seeing the taller one struggle to keep up her bravado. Little does she know that the sound makes the strings in Nicole’s heart tug just a bit.

They make their way towards the couch as Nicole sets her things down on the coffee table in front of them. “I brought some of my own work too by the way. It’s nothing much, just some stupid Trigonometry homework. God, I wish I didn’t insist on taking an accelerated course.” Pressing her palms into her forehead she groans before rubbing her face a few times regaining her composure. Waverly eyes the sheets held in her hand. Her brows crinkle as she observes the work on the sheet.

“Mind if I take a look at those?” She asks, pointing at the thick packet. Nicole hands it to her gratefully.

“Sure, have at it.” As Waverly flips through the packet she bites her lip in concentration scanning the problems. Nicole watches her face intently awestruck at just how  _ beautiful  _ she looked when focusing. She swallows a breath before snapping her head back up when she sees Waverly handing the packet back to her.

“I see what you’re having trouble with. It looks like you guys just started the Law of Cosines right? Here,” She points to the challenge problem at the bottom where Nicole left a bunch of half finished equations and messy lines scrawling out the wrong answers. “What they don’t tell you is that this requires you to use the Law of Cosines first to solve for this side…” she pauses, scribbling down a few equations on the side. “And  _ then _ use the Law of Sines to find the opposite angle.” Plugging in the previous output from the last equation linking the two separate actions she circles her final answer leaving Nicole with the same awestruck expression on her face, reappearing once more. “This should leave you with a final answer of approximetly 58.67 degrees. Now subtract that from 360 degrees and there you have the angle of the bearing!”

“Wow...thanks.” She said with a clear loss for words that Waverly took as a sign of annoyance.

“Oh god, I nerded out on you didn’t I? Ughhh I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to be annoying I just- I just thought-'' Her blabbering was cut off by Nicole’s gentle hands placed on the tops of her thighs. Looking up she melts seeing nothing but absolute wonder in her warm brown eyes.

“Waves? Are you kidding? That wasn’t annoying, that was freakin’ incredible! Seriously, did you get a tutor or something?” Waverly blushes at her comment having never been complimented on her intellect before.

“Well...I’m in Calculus right now so I did this about…maybe two-ish years ago?” She watches as Nicole’s jaw drops to the ground.

“Holy crap! You’re a prodigy! I mean seriously, if I thought being a year ahead was advanced, guess I haven’t seen much considering that you’re five!” She gives her a wide dimpled smile as before pulling her hands away. “How about this. Why don’t you help me with Trig and I’ll help you with your MUN resolution? We can kill two birds with one stone and plus, I’m in mock trial sooo maybe I can give a few pointers?” Waverly smiles making a mental note to herself.  _ Mock trial huh? Sounds fitting for someone so passionate... _ She looks up at her fiddling with her fingers as she does so.

“I would love that.”

* * *

By 9:00 they had put the finishing touches on her speech and worked through the final problems of the Trig packet. Laughter and brightness filling the once empty house. Nicole leans against the couch relaxing a bit as she enjoys the adorable giggles coming from the smaller girl beside her. “Man, it never really painted a picture in my mind of how bad it can be to be LGBT+ in other countries...I mean, I get dyke and fag thrown at me here and there but it’s  _ nothing  _ like what the people of Guyana have to go through…” Her voice trails off deep in thought as she recalls a few incidents here and there. This causes Waverly to tilt her head a bit as she tries to approach her next words carefully.

“Oh! So you’re saying you’re…”

“Yeah, I’m gay.” Nicole throws out nonchalantly. She turns her head back to her with all seriousness. “Does that...bother you?”

“No! No, of course not. Gosh, I write entire articles in the paper trying to increase diversity. Seriously, no judgement I swear.” The redhead relaxes back into the couch with a lazy grin on her face staring up at the ceiling.

“Good, I’m glad.” She closes as they sit in a comfortable silence. Without meaning to, Waverly finds her eyes observing Nicole’s resting figure as they sit a safe three feet away from each other on the couch. She follows her strong jawline down to the dip of her neck before lingering on her exposed collarbone making her swallow hard. She blinks shaking her head trying to forget about the flitting feeling within herself.  _ Shit, shit, shit. You just made a new friend who doesn’t completely think you are a dork. Don’t make it weird!  _ Nicole turns her head to look at her for a second. “You good there?” Waverly’s eyes open wide as she vigorously shakes her head.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just getting lost in my head again.” She says with an apologetic look making the redhead smile gently as she reaches out to grab her hand and pulls her closer as they both lay there simply enjoying each other’s company.

Suddenly, the door swings open startling Nicole making them both jump apart into a safe distance as a new figure stumbles in. Slamming the door shut Wynonna groans sinking to the floor.

“Fill a tub with tequila and put salt on the rim. I have had a day.” She slurs a bit, dropping her head. Nicole looks at her with wide eyes, turning to Waverly for an explanation. Waverly glances at her quickly before making her way to the door to help her sister up.

“Well, now you’ve met my sister. This is the infamous Wynonna Earp. Sorry she seems to be a little…” She takes a whiff of her shirt before scrunching her nose at the stench. “Drunk.” she finishes as she drags her sister to the couch with Nicole helping her hoist her legs up. Wynonna’s eyes open just long enough to see Nicole’s face quickly turning into a groan.

“Ughhh what the hell? Waves, explain to me why this do-gooder is standing in our house right now?” Waverly’s eyebrows raise just slightly.

“You two know each other?” They both scoff at the same time.

“Unfortunately.” Retorts Wynonna causing the redhead to roll her eyes.

“Please. As if it was my fault that I caught you fucking Dolls under the bleachers...in the middle of my practice by the way!”

“Hey! No one asked you to tattle on me to Coach Nedley!”

“Well I’m sorry if I don’t want to hear obscenities pour out of your mouth while I’m in wrestling practice pinning down giant hundred seventy pound dudes!”

“GUYS!” Waverly snaps at both of them causing them to shut up. She pinches the bridge of her nose letting out a long sigh. “Okay, I’m sure you have many  _ wonderful  _ opinions about each other but for now can I please ask why the hell you just got home now??” Wynonna gives a small shrug before yawning.

“Well if you want all the details I can tell you that I was finishing a few body shots here and there...plus round three with the last guy…” she smirked seeing the clear discomfort on Nicole’s face as she lazily propped herself up on her elbows shooting a cocky grin at the redhead. “Now would you like to tell me about your guy’s banging while I was away?” Nicole’s face flushes before Wavely lunges to smack her arm.

“Wynonna! You can’t just say things like that!” She tries to place a stern look of anger but even then her own cheeks were a little pink themselves. Wynonna raises a brow noticing it.

“So is that a no…?” Waverly rolls her eyes.

“God no. We were studying. And no, not the Champ kind so you can quit it. Just some Model UN and Trig.” Wynonna’s nose crinkles at the mention of school.

“Ew okay fine. Also speaking of your boy toy, tell him to stop being such an ass hat will ya? He spent the whole party complaining about how horny he was since you bailed on him today.” This causes Waverly to quickly dart her eyes to Nicole who was shifting the weight on her feet uncomfortably.

“Okaaay that's enough out of you today Wynonna. Let’s get you upstairs.” Nicole quickly rushes to grab the other side of her as they both slowly but surely get her to her room.

After placing her on her bed, Waverly sighs plopping back down onto the couch, the taller one following suit.

“Your parents are okay with her coming home like this?” She raises a brow but quickly drops to concern noting the nervous fidget the younger one does with her fingers when planning out her words.

“Uhh well, not really. I mean, my dad died when I was young while drunk driving and my mom...well she left shortly after. I have an older sister Willa but after she turned eighteen she couldn’t wait to leave this town behind. So my Uncle Curtis and Aunt Gus take care of us but they're out on vacation right now and won’t be home for the next two weeks.” She looks down hating having to explain her life’s story to anyone around her. They always gave her that look of pity that made her feel like she was some victim child. Nicole just reached for her hand, gaze focused to the ceiling as she stared up at the wall.

“You must really be the strongest person I’ve ever met.” Waverly turns her head to look at her in shock. Nicole brings her eyes back down to her grinning causing that same flitting feeling to come back making her avert her gaze to the floor. The redhead then makes a move to stand up as she brushes off her pants, throwing her arms up for a stretch. “Well, I better get going. My grandparents would kill me if I missed curfew...again.” She said with a wink causing the brunette to raise her brows a bit. “I’ve lost a couple people in my life too. They’re pretty much the family I’ve got left. Or at least, the ones that still wanna see me.” She shrugs before gathering her things together making her way to the door with Waverly close behind her.

“Thanks for tonight by the way. I never would’ve finished this without your help.” The smaller one smiles gently daring to grasp her fingers just for a moment.

“No, thank you. It’s nice...to finally have someone I can talk to like this.” Nicole beams, finally pulling her hands away to open the door and shutting it, but the tingling sensation on her fingertips never faded.


	3. Everything's "Fine"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little peek into Nicole's wrestling persona :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I know there is a lot of stuff going on during this pandemic and all that so I just wanted to take the time to wish you all well and I hope everyone stays safe and healthy during this time. Thank you to everyone who's supported this piece so far and I hope you enjoy today's chapter ^*^

The following day proved to be just as exhausting as the last. People claim that Sophomore year was supposed to be a slump year but that statement could not be any more inaccurate for Waverly Earp. Mondays meant Model UN, Tuesdays were art classes, Thursdays were SAT prep, and Wednesdays along with the weekend were for dance practice. This always left Fridays as her only day off.

Slumping down in her chair she groans, hitting her head against her desk in frustration. This month’s art class was focused on mixed media and graphic design...to say that she despised both of them would be an understatement. As she observes the simple shapes and patterns going across Purgatory High’s crappy P.Cs she attempts to mess around with the line work here and there before giving up and shutting down her computer. Two weeks in and Waverly had yet to finish the research for her info graphic project that was due on Friday.

Finally deciding she deserved a break she pushes her chair back in a huff and signs out of the Tech Lab for the day before scrolling through her contacts to text Wynonna.

**Baby Sis: Hey Wy, can you come pick me up from school now?**

**Wy: Dude, what’s the point of a license if you don’t use it?**

**Baby Sis: Uhm, may I need to remind you that you’re the only one with a car rn...😑**

**Wy: Fine. What’s in it for me?**

**Baby Sis: WYNONNA I SWEAR**

**Baby Sis: …..**

**Baby Sis: Fine, I’ll buy you a bucket of chicken on the way back**

**Wy: Your the bestest sister in the entire world <3**

**Baby Sis: *You’re**

**Wy: Shut up**

**Wy: Be there in 15 kay?**

**Baby Sis: 🙏**

Sighing, she shoves the phone back into her pocket heading towards the parking lot. On the way there however she notes that the gym doors were left open giving her just enough time to peek in and see a glimpse of a familiar redhead performing a take-down on another guy. _Just a few minutes. Wynonna won’t be here for a while anyways._ She rationalizes as she slips in beside the bleachers for a closer look only to have her jaw drop as at the woman in front of her.

Breathing hard, Nicole stands in the center of the mats locked in position by her opponent who was clearly struggling to keep the pressure on her. Waverly licks her lip just slightly seeing the flex of her strong biceps as she lunges for a fireman’s carry effectively picking up the man and slamming him onto the mat. Cheers and claps surround her as the redhead’s teammates hoot in approval and her coach sits back with a grin. Suddenly, her breath hitches as Nicole’s eyes flit up to hers in the stands before quickly gesturing to her coach for a five minute break and heading over to Waverly. It never stopped to amaze the smaller one that a uniform so simple could look so... _hot._ Especially on Nicole.

When the redhead finally reaches her a wide grin is spread all over her face making Waverly’s chest fill with a sort of contagious joy that seemed to emanate from the other girl.

“I take it you saw me take that guy down like a badass?” A smirk plays on her face followed by a playful shove from the younger girl.

“ _God_ , look who’s being cocky?” They smile at each other gently before she finally gathers up everything inside her to reach for Nicole’s finger tips. “But I mean, it was kinda awesome...seeing you flip him and all. I could see your arms flex from up here.” Now it was the redhead’s turn to blush as she awkwardly laughs and turns away rubbing the back of her neck.

“Nah, I kinda cheated. I mean, I do Judo in the spring so I use moves from both sides and cross train.” Waverly quirks her head to the side for a moment furrowing her eyebrows.

“Judo?” She says with confusion written on her face.

“Yeah, it’s a martial art where you throw people.” The taller one lets out a laugh at the shock that crosses her face as the younger one tries to envision it.

“It’s hard to explain, trust me. Let me just tell you it’s nothing like WWE.” They both chuckle at the prospect of imagining Nicole stepping into a ring with a bunch of men on steroids when Waverly see’s a girl in a similar uniform as the redhead making her way up to them.

Tapping Nicole on the shoulder the older girl whips around hands instinctively falling from the smaller girl’s grasp causing a slight pang in her chest. The brunette eyes the girl up and down for a bit trying to figure her out. She had a slender build with lean muscle covering her entire body accompanied with flawless olive toned skin, a perfect compliment to her dark brown hair. Eyeing her up and down somehow gave Waverly an uncomfortable twist but she couldn’t place her finger on why.

“Hey Shae, what’s up?” The redhead offers a dimpled smile to the girl turning her back to the smaller one.

“Not much. Coach just said to let you know that you and Xavier are good to go for today since practice got cut short. Something about how he needs to pick up his kids from daycare.” Nicole nods slowly in understanding before responding.

“Cool. Cool. Did he ask me to roll up the mats?”

“Nah, I volunteered for you since you did it last time.” She beams up at the older girl commenting in such a sweet innocent voice that takes everything in Waverly’s power not to scoff. _What a nark._

“Aww, you didn’t have to do that...thanks though. It really helps.” She shoots her a wink causing the small brunette behind her to clench her hands until she feels the nails bite into her palms before a burning tightness in her chest grows when she sees Shae confidently reach for Nicole’s hands intertwining them together.

“It’s nothing. I’d do anything for you; us girls have to stick together right?” The taller girl lets out a small laugh responding with a nod in agreement before she suddenly sees Waverly shifting her weight from foot to foot uncomfortably. Quickly letting go of Shae’s hands, she gestures between the two of them.

“Uh Shae this is my friend Waverly, and Waverly, this is Shae my-”

“Her partner.” Shae cuts off with a smile reaching a hand out with a smile, but the younger one notices a small bite behind it. She extends out her hand taking it with a vice like grip hating that she can feel the rigid grip of her fingers through the contact. Seeing nothing of this interaction however the redhead just continues on.

“Okay, now that everyone’s been introduced, imma just hop into the locker room and change real quick. Do you need a ride Waves?” Her heart flutters a bit at the adoring nickname but thinks nothing of it shaking off the feeling.

“Nah, Wynonna’s coming to pick me up in five minutes. Sober.” She adds quickly already seeing the cautious look formulating on the older girl’s face.

“Good to know. So I’ll see you around then?”

“Definitely. You could come over to my house again on Friday if you’d like?” She says hopefully trying to hide a smirk as she eyes the look Shae was giving her at the moment.

“Sounds awesome. I’ll be there at six!”

“Great! Make sure to bring your Trig!” They both let out a laugh before they head down the bleachers, although the small brunette doesn’t stop to shoot a smug look towards Shae’s direction as she makes her descent.

Turning out the gym she is startled by Champ waiting for her outside the door. He gives a smile as he walks over to her, grabbing her hips and shoving his tongue down her throat in greeting. Too tired to protest it, Waverly just lets it happen before finally pulling away.

“Baby, I don’t wanna fight anymore. Let’s just make up, kay?” She lets out a breath uncaring.

“Fine...but you aren’t going to ask me to sacrifice school over you anymore, deal?” He attempts to roll his eyes before she shoots him a look making him understand she wasn’t kidding.

“Fine.” Champ lets out a huff as they walk down the halls towards the front of the school entrance to wait for Wynonna. When they approach the doors he opens his mouth as if he’s about to say something, then closes it. Waverly eyes him suspiciously as they make their way outside and settle down on the bench.

“What?” She asks with a touch of irritation.

“So you went to watch that redhead’s practice and not mine? What happened to ‘art class’? ” He finally says with a touch of scowl crawling up his face. She rubs her temples in exasperation. 

“I _was_ in art class but I cut it early and asked Wynonna to pick me up 15 minutes ago. I figured I had time so I stopped by to see what wrestling practice looks like out of curiosity. Okay?” He bites his lip with a hint of a grimace.

“You know she’s bad news right?” Waverly whirls around to face him with an incredulous look on her face.

“I’m sorry. _What_?”

“You wouldn’t know since she’s an upperclassman but people _say_ things babe. They’ve _been_ sayin’ things. She’s kinda a slut…a dyke one at that…” He mumbles the last part under his breath with a peculiar squint in his eyes before Waverly slaps his arm.

“Ow! What the hell?!”

“First of all, I don’t need you telling me who I can and can’t hang out with. She is my friend and it shouldn’t matter what kind of shit people say about her _especially_ when you haven’t talked to her at all.” She’s seething at this point, her voice no longer level and calm. “Secondly, being a _lesbian_ isn’t something to be disgusted over so get your head out of your ass Champ.” He throws his hands up in the air with frustration.

“She’s like a _guy_ Waverly! Even if she’s a girl, she’s one that likes other girls. What if she...you know, hits on you or somethin’? You think I should just roll over and be okay with it?!” The blood in her veins runs cold as she stands up seeing Wynonna’s car approach the parking lot.

“Look, I don’t have the time or energy to try and explain to you that no, she is not a guy and even if so, anyone is capable of having female friends so that shouldn’t concern you. Nicole is my friend so stay out of it okay?” He grunts tossing his head back giving up in the argument before he wraps his arms around her to pepper her neck with kisses.

“Whatever, let’s not fight about this anymore. As long as you’re mine it’s fine.” She sighs before giving a huff, making her way to Wynonna’s truck.

* * *

The car ride back was silent save for the quiet munching that was going on in the driver’s side of the car as Wynonna happily devoured her fried chicken while occasionally swerving here and there to reach for another piece. After stuffing another piece into her mouth she finally throws out a comment.

“So,” she pauses for a bit, licking her fingers. “You wanna tell me why I had to witness your boy-toy jumping your bones?” Waverly groans, pressing her palms into her face.

“Nothing serious. We were just fighting and he was trying to make it up to me-”

“Ew.” Was her quick response to which the younger girl shot her a glare.

“Not like _that._ I was just pissed at some of the things he said about my friend.”

“You mean Haught Sauce?” she smirks at her little joke met with a gentle slap on her arm by Waverly.

“Yes, her. He was just calling her a slut and a dyke but I mean, come on! It’s not like anyone in the upper class is any _less_ innocent than her…” Wynonna snorts in agreement knowing the pointed look that her baby sis was giving her. “Plus there are better words to use than dyke anyways. And being a Lesbian isn’t a bad thing! Who cares?! I’m so sick and tired of people trying to make it sound like being gay makes it suddenly more perverted than being straight. It’s just another kind of person!” She slumps in her chair letting out a puff of air feeling as though a weight hadn’t known existed was lifted off of her. Wynonna raises a brow at her before continuing.

“Okaaaay then...before you went all Model UN-y on me I was just gonna ask if Haughty’s comin’ over tomorrow too?” Waverly smiles for a second remembering her plans with the redhead.

“Yeah, we’re doing homework tomorrow at six.” This makes the older sister groan, tossing her head back in annoyance.

“Great, so now that you’re besties with a nark I’ve gotta keep up the good girl rep. Or at least semi-legal?”

“Yep.” She pops the p at the end with a smirk on her face.

“Fine. But if you want any shot at keeping this goody goody friend of yours, you might wanna at least make the homework more fun so you don’t bore her outta your friendship.” Wynonna knows her sister doesn’t exactly have a plethora of friends. It doesn’t really help that the entire town has rumors about how cursed their family life is. Waverly raises a brow to her commentary.

“So what do you suggest?” The older girl shrugs nonchalantly.

“Why don’t you try going to a coffee shop?”


	4. The Cat's Out of the Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute coffee date :) And maybe some emerging questions? Oh! And a little bit of chemistry (both literally and metaphorically >< )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Hope you guys have managed to stay safe while we are in quarantine at the moment and I wish everyone good health in this time. I do have a proposal I would like to have your opinion on if you don't mind. Some of you may know that I write three chapters in advance to prevent myself from falling behind on an update. As I continue on in this story however, I've found myself making each chapter longer and longer. My question to you guys is: Would you prefer if I update twice a week with my usual 2,500 word chapters or if I were to update on the same schedule once a week with 5,000+ word chapters? Let me know in the comments below and thanks as always to everyone who enjoys reading my work! It really means a lot that you find this worth reading ^*^

Tugging on the coarse rope for a final time, Nicole manages to let out one final grunt as she makes it to the top before dropping down to safely make her descent. Coach Nedley awaits her on the other side of the gym as she sprints back crossing the line.

“And time!” He yells, stopping the stopwatch in his hand. Breathing heavily, the redhead bends over gasping for breaths of air. Nedley pats her on the back proudly handing her water bottle over to her to which she happily accepts chugging it down. “Look at you Haught, makin’ all the guys look like they’re slackin’.” He shoots a playful look over to Dolls and Perry who were both lying on the floor unable to move, huffing for air. She laughs at the sight trying to bite back a shit eating grin turning back to her coach.

“Well someone’s gotta be the first to win districts at this school. Why not be a woman?”

“Don’t get too cocky there Haught Stuff.” She whips around to see Shae make the final sprint crossing the line just _barely_ beating Nicole by two seconds at a time of forty one. Snickering, Nicole bats her hand away with her eyebrows raised.

“I’ve had to go more rounds than you today.”

“Pshh, I don’t need your excuses Haughty. I still would’ve won.” The redhead rolls her eyes with a smile playing at her lips.

“Whatever you say Shae…” The brunette smirks at her with a quirk of her lips.

“Remember last time you said that?” This causes Nicole’s entire face to burn as she hears Dolls cackle in the background and Perry snickering in the background. Nedley clears his throat loudly hoping to silence any other comments from reaching his ears.

“Alright guys, we’ve got one more practice before the meet on Saturday night. Make sure to weigh yourselves properly and ask me if you need help cutting. Perry, you’re in charge of mats today.” Quickly, Perry gets off the floor and scrambles to roll up the mats from the gym, leaving everyone else to file out to the locker rooms. 

After changing, the redhead emerges out the door to meet Dolls standing at the front entrance waiting for her. He looks up from his phone with a grin stuffing the device into his back pocket.

“I figured you’d need a ride since your truck’s in the shop today?” He gives her a knowing look as they head down the halls.

“Thanks but it’s okay. I texted my friend that she could pick me up on our way to go study today.”

“And by study you mean…?” He wiggles his eyebrows with a suggestive look plastered all over his face. Nicole scoffs shoving his shoulder.

“ _Yes_. To study for real. Don’t make anything weird out of it.” But even her face couldn’t hide the smile poking out when she recalled who she was spending her time with. Dolls picks up on it nudging her in the ribs.

“So is this the Waverly I’ve heard you talk non-stop about?” His voice still taking that annoying pitchy turn at the end that on any other day she would’ve tried to wipe off the stupid grin that came with it...unfortunately for her she was sporting her own stupid grin. Her chest seemed to burst at the thought of getting to hear her rant about the world again.

“Yes that Waverly Earp. But I swear it means nothing. We’re just going to some coffee shop. Angel’s Brew? Anyways it doesn’t matter. She has a boyfriend.” The redhead feels a small twist in her chest but she shakes it off knowing that it would be unfair of her to ask that the smaller girl should dump her dick of a boyfriend out of her own selfishness. Dolls let out a low whistle.

“Ouch. Come to think of it, isn’t she Hardy’s girl?” She nods dejectedly opening the door for him on the way out. “Yeesh. Well, if it makes you feel any better, she’s _way_ outta his league. And I doubt she’ll stick around once she realizes that.” Nicole blows out a puff of air in agreement. _I don’t doubt that, but the question is_ when _?._ Shaking her head, they stand outside for a bit waiting before a small smirk rises on her lips.

“So then, what about things between you and Wynonna?” She almost cackles seeing the way his entire body went stiff as he stared into the parking lot.

“We don’t talk about that Haught.”

“Yeah, okay. But just so you know, you could’ve hid that hickey _juuust_ a bit better.”

“I _said_ we don’t talk about it Haught.” He grits out leaving Nicole laughing.

* * *

By the time Waverly pulls up in Wynonna’s truck, her eyes land immediately on Nicole who is playfully teasing a surprisingly _very red_ Dolls. She raises her eyebrows in question. _Xavier Dolls...can blush?_ A small tug at her heart pulls towards the older girl as she hears her laugh fill the air around them. There was just something about that girl’s laugh that she couldn’t explain that made her want to pull her close and never let go. Something she would never tire of hearing.

Stepping out of the truck Nicole’s laugh slowly fades, turning into a heart stopping smile as the smaller girl makes her way towards them. 

“Hey you…” Waverly offers a small wave almost missing the elbowing gesture Dolls makes towards the redhead causing her to silently attempt to bat it away.

“Hey! You ready for our study date?” The words fly out of her mouth before she can stop them causing the tips of her ears to burn as she stumbles for the right words. Little does she know that the small brunette felt a slight jump in her heart hearing the words aloud. “I-I mean, just like, a planned day to hang out. Like a meet up!” Waverly lets out a small laugh finding it somewhat endearing how adorable the redhead was when she was flustered. Dolls who was standing behind her bites his lip suppressing a smile as he decided to sit back and enjoy the show...well...almost.

“Nicole keeps talking to me about how pretty you are.” He says with a wide grin; teeth and everything while the older girl’s eyes widen as she nervously coughs trying to drown out her embarrassment. “But it’s fine cuz she’s always talking about how pretty Shae is too so it’s nothing new.” At this point, the redhead wants to slap her palm to her forehead and just go to the nearest wall and hit her head on it a few times to forget this moment. As she rubs her temples trying to magically melt into the floor, she doesn’t catch the slight drop in the younger girl’s expression. Quickly, Waverly pulls Nicole’s hands away from her face looking into the redhead’s eyes making all time stop causing a subtle bob of her throat.

“You ready to go?” The taller girl nods dumbly in a daze not entirely sure what she’s to do with her hands but she leaves them in Waverly’s grasp anyways. The brunette gives her a warm smile. “Great! Let’s go.” She pulls her to the truck hand in hand as Dolls calls out to them from a distance.

“Have fun today Haught!” Nicole silently throws her middle finger at him with her free hand and closes the car door shut.

* * *

Nicole opens the door for Waverly to which she happily skips in reaching for Nicole’s fingertips for the second time that day; confidence growing as she does so. She smiles and waves at the barista at the register throwing him a smile.

“Hi Robin! How’re you doing?” He smiles at the voice, pushing his beanie slightly back revealing his storm grey eyes, flickering with light.

“Hey Waverly! Good to see you back today.” He catches sight of the redhead tilting his head to the side in curiosity...as well as their still intertwined hands. “And who is this lucky girl that gets to accompany your studies? I haven’t seen you with anyone before.” The redhead’s cheeks pinked a bit internally fluttering at the idea that she was the first person Waverly’s ever brought to this place.

“This is Nicole. She’s a friend of mine who happens to bear with my boring rants.” She teases nudging an elbow. The older girl smiles before replying.

“Well if I may jump in I’d like to make it clear that I could listen to you talking about the world all day.” It’s the brunette’s turn to blush, the corners of her lips turning up with a smile. Robin watches the interaction carefully raising a slight brow but decides not to say anything.

“Sounds like she’s a keeper.” He throws a wink at Nicole knowingly making her eyes widen a bit before he continues. “So what can I get you two?”

“I’ll have a cup of the Strawberry Sencha Green Tea with a lemon slice on the side please.” He happily taps out Waverly’s order on the screen with a smile.

“Got it. What about you Nicole?”

“A Cortado, double shot please.” With a few more clicks he finishes placing the order.

“Great! I’ll have it sent to you guys in no time.” Waverly reaches to pay before the redhead stops her card already in hand.

“You invited me here with you. The least I could do is pay.” The smaller girl opens her mouth in protest before seeing the sincerity in Nicole’s eyes. She lets out a puff of air stuffing her card back in her purse.

“Fiiiine. But only if you let me get your coffee next time.” At first the brunette’s smile falters a bit, internally cursing at herself for assuming there’d _be_ a next time. When suddenly all her worries are wiped away by the warm goofy grin on the taller girl’s face making her heart absolutely melt when Nicole reaches to brush a hand down her arm.

“I look forward to it.” Waverly feels her heart swell at the gesture, time seeming to slow as she gets lost in her eyes. _Dear lord. This girl is going to be the death of me._

* * *

The two of them sit in a comfortable silence for a while. A few fleeting glances here and there, little giggles at some of the doodles they drew on each other’s papers; while the rest of the world continued to bustle around them, they were wrapped in their own little bubble and nothing seemed to be able to pop it.

As Waverly tries (but fails) to focus on drawing a diagram of the differences between the ionic radius of a Fluorine atom vs. a Fluorine ion, however a particular redhead kept distracting her with her (adorable) ridiculous doodles.

“Nicooole, what the heck are you drawing all over my Chem homework?” The taller girl looks up to her with a smile dancing across her lips. She shrugs, continuing to draw tiny little scribbles on the edges of her sheet.

“Guess you’ll have to wait and find out~” The younger one groans in mock frustration before craning her neck to get a better look. Nicole catches her eye and bats away at her playfully.

“Hang on! Give me a sec to finish, I promise I’ll show you when I’m done.” Her brows furrowed in concentration without realizing the way Waverly’s eyes were tracing her. The small brunette swallowed hard seeing how her tongue tended to stick out just a bit when she was concentrating following down to her pulse point causing her to unknowingly wet her lips wanting to simply touch the edges of her jaw driving her crazy. She blinks for a second, stopping herself not knowing what to make of those feelings. Before she can stop and question in though, Nicole sits up with a wide grin on her face.

“Okay, you can look now.” She peers over at the sheet seeing the beautifully shaded and outlined 3-D Bohr's model of what seemed to be Thorium, judging by the number of Protons she drew. Puzzled, she quirks an eyebrow at the older girl.

“It’s a beautiful model but I do have one question...why Thorium?” Nicole places her pencil down looking towards the drawing unconsciously tracing little nervous circles on the table.

“I’m in AP Chem right now. My mom was a biochemist and I ended up falling in love with chemistry too.” She lets out a small laugh before continuing. “Thing is, we learned this interesting concept about subatomic particles. You know, Neutrons, Protons, and Electrons. The funny thing is, you would think that because Electrons are the opposite charge of Protons, that would be the glue holding the center together...but it isn’t. And since like forces repel each other, Protons on their own would cause an atom to split apart because it’s center is completely positive. What actually keeps the atom together is the Neutrons, acting as a buffer of space between all the positive energy.” She finally gazes into the smaller girl’s eyes making her breath hitch a bit. She reaches for Waverly’s hands brushing her thumbs over hers. “I just wanted to let you know that even if the world feels like it’s falling apart, I want to be your Neutron. I want to be your buffer.” Tears shine in the younger girls eyes that she doesn’t even realize were falling until she feels drops of them pattering the tops of their hands. She laughs with a certain speechlessness awkwardly attempting to quickly wipe away her tears when Nicole gets up to cup her jaw gently swiping away her tears. This causes more tears to fall at the tenderness of the action as the smaller girl attempts to speak.

“Sometimes I feel like I have to be everything for everyone all at the same time because if I don’t, I’m afraid that people would forget about me and leave me like my mom and my sister. Hell, I don’t even know what I’ll do if Wynonna leaves next year…” She sniffs before letting her hands drop to grab a napkin on the table attempting to laugh it off again. “I’m sorry, I probably sound incredibly stupid crying at such a cute drawing you made. I get it if you’re really weirded out now.” She’s about to hide her hands in her face when Nicole suddenly speaks up.

“You know, you don’t have to be anything for me. Gosh, all I really want is for you to be the person you chose to be, not what you think others want you to be.”

_No way. No way. No way._

_This girl…_

_She’s…_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_Am I going crazy?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Forgot to add! Congrats on Dom for coming out! Makes me so proud to be queer in a time like this :)


	5. What's the Worst that can Happen?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly's FINALLY breaking up with that shit ticket...oh and warning, the angst is gonna start so buckle up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you all have been taking care of yourself during this time. Things are kinda getting scary with COVID-19 but I hope a dash of Wayhaught can brighten your day ^^ Never did I think I would feel so much support from you all in the comments below and I am so thankful to have found myself to be a part of the Earper union. I've decided to write 5,000+ chapters once a week for the time on Saturdays so I hope you enjoy! Thank you to everyone who has supported this story so far and I wish you all the best! >w<

For the most part, Waverly remained silent on the drive home. After Nicole dropped her off at homestead, she lay in bed tossing and turning before passing out at four a.m only to be back up at seven, pacing back and forth her room trying to gather her thoughts with no avail.

_ Girls think other girls are pretty all the time, so what does it matter if I think Nicole is pretty?  _ Her footsteps quicken across the floor. Even she knew that was a lie. Nicole was straight up beautiful. It didn’t even have to do with her amazingly broad shoulders or her fiery red curls. No, Waverly knew that this girl was more than that. She was amazingly intelligent, had a strong sense of morals, and above everything, put herself last.  _ But I can admire Nicole right? This just means I want to be her, not  _ with  _ her. Yeah. That’s what it is… _

Suddenly caught in the middle of her pacing, her bedroom door slams open revealing an aggravated Wynonna with a pissy look on her face. The older girl crosses her arms with a bit of a squint in her eyes.

“Okay baby girl, here’s how it’s going to work. If you are going to choose to spend the early hours of the day making that much noise, at least have it be when you're getting laid...preferably not with Champ cuz that rodeo clown lasts eight minutes. Tops.” Exasperated, Waverly throws her hands up in frustration.

“Well who else am I going to sleep with?? It’s not anyone but Champ! Why would you even say that?! It’s not like I spend my time thinking of other people! Plus, even if I was to, which I am not, there are plenty of boy-men out there that can satisfy me and not some...some…” She pauses in the middle of her yelling, dropping her head down into her hands taking deep shuddering breaths. Quirking her brow, Wynonna walks towards her slowly trying to slow the billions of questions running around in her head and simply places both of her hands on the younger Earp’s shoulders bringing her to look straight into her eyes.

“Hey, I got an idea. Looks to me you’ve got a shit ton of stuff to work out sooo why don’t we go shooting?” Waverly scrunches her nose at the thought pulling away to look up at her.

“Shooting? Like where?” Wynonna shrugs before bending down to pull a small pistol out from her boot, tossing it to her leaving the small brunette fumbling to catch the weapon, gaping at it with wide eyes.

“We’ll just line up a couple cans on the fence by the barn. No big deal.” She walks out the door pulling a second pistol from the belt on her hip. “I wanna get better at my aim anyways so let’s hurry it up baby girl.”

“Wynonna! Since when did you get a gun??”

“Daddy left a few lying around so I found it. Now you coming or what?” She looks to the older girl incredulously before shaking her head and deciding to just follow her out the door.

* * *

Using a few old aluminum cans, they line them up one by one after Wynonna gives her a crash course on how to shoot. Waverly squints her eyes before planting her foot and taking aim. Pulling the trigger, the sound jars her ears leaving them ringing as she watches the bullet soar through the air abruptly knocking the can over the edge into the far distance. The older girl smirks in approval clapping a hand on her shoulder.

“Not bad at all for a newbie.” The small brunette huffs before quickly getting into stance and pulls the trigger aiming one after another after another. Cans fly left and right before she comes to the last one taking aim and firing at it causing it to fall off the fence and ricochet off the rock behind it before tumbling down the hill. Satisfied, she finally sets the gun down and walks over to the fence pushing herself up to sit on it. Wynonna follows her closely from behind joining her. She places an arm around Waverly who greatly leans into her support as they sit in a comfortable silence watching the sun rise.

“So you finally gonna tell me what’s got you more riled up than Dolls without his banana liqueur?” The smaller one’s eyebrows furrow at the information before grimacing.

“It’s just that...I’ve always had this  _ plan.  _ I’m going to become a Model UN board member, try for head cheerleader next year, Valedictorian senior year, college in the states, and marry Champ-”

“Ew.” Waverly slaps her arm before continuing.

“Shut up he’s not  _ that  _ bad…” Wynonna raises an eyebrow craning her neck back.

“Not that bad? The only time you bring him up is when he’s being an absolute dick.” The younger girl rolls her eyes before continuing.

“That’s not true. The point is…” She ignores the look her sister gives her shoving down all thoughts that she wants to follow that conversation with. “...I’ve always had a plan and I’ve always wanted this plan. It’s safe and I know what’s supposed to happen next so I don’t ever get lost. I just...I  _ can’t  _ get lost again. Daddy hated me, mama left, Willa doesn’t want to come back, and who knows where you’ll be going next year…” She trails off quickly wiping away the tears forming in her eyes not wanting to cry over this again. She was done crying about this again. “But this plan, it’s always been there. But now, I don’t know  _ what  _ I want anymore.” Wynonna sits calmly and listens, squeezing her hand occasionally before breaking the silence.

“Some plans are meant to be screwed up you know.” Waverly looks up, tears shining in her eyes. “You think Gus planned on taking us in? Or that you planned on running into Haught stuff? Gosh, Waverly plans get flipped and turned all the time and you can’t expect things to stay the same because the best things that happen aren’t planned for.” Finally, the smaller girl looks up at Wynonna briefly before pulling her tight to her chest, feeling the older Earp wrap her arms around her shoulders. “As for leaving you, baby girl, I wouldn’t dare. Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t walk out the door with your shirt on backwards.” She snickers at the memory earning a slap from the younger one.

“That was  _ one  _ time! And I had a semester final that day so I needed every second I could get.” They smile before huddling together to avoid the cold walking arm and arm back inside. In the midst of this Wynonna pipes up.

“Ya know, life’s too short to be afraid of things. Carpe diem and all that shit. Love who you love and figure it out.” Waverly spins around to look at her as the taller girl tilts her head at her giving the younger one a knowing look. She lets out a breath before continuing towards the door.

“It doesn’t matter anyways. There’s no way she even likes me.” Wynonna barks out a quick laugh, turning the key in the lock shoving the door open.

“Sure she doesn’t baby girl.” Waverly rolls her eyes but even that didn’t stop the fluttering she felt at the words before heading inside.

* * *

Shutting off the ignition, adrenaline thrums through Waverly’s veins as she sits in front of Champ’s driveway. She was going to do it. Comfortable and planning could go to Hell because there was no clear future on how this was going to go. She puffs out a breath before finally opening the truck door and dragging her feet out, rubbing her hands together as she approaches the front porch seeing her breaths turn into fog.

It was a bit early for a Saturday, but she figured the sooner she did this the better. It helped that his parents live on a ranch and start working at seven in the morning. She didn’t really want an audience while trying to break up with him.

Ringing the doorbell the brunette waits for a minute. The house remained silent. Ringing again she is met with a lack of response. Sighing she finally knocks on the door urgently before hearing a loud groan from the other side and the stomping of feet followed by a quick swing of the door making her come face to face with her classmate, Fish. He rubs his bloodshot eyes wincing before grumbling out a response.

“Can I help you?” His breath reeked of whisky and judging by the vomit stain on his shirt it was evident he had too much of it the night before. Probably the reason Champ let him crash at his place after what looked to be the after affects of a party.  _ Another reason to hate high school social circles. _

“Hi, I need to look for Champ? Is he upstairs still?” He snorts turning around waving a hand for her to come in.

“Judging by the fact that it’s 8:30 and he’s probably hungover from last night’s party, hell yeah. He’s in his room, just tread carefully…” The smaller girl nods before quietly heading upstairs sucking in a breath before taking the door knob into her hand and pushing the door open when her eyes widen like saucers. In front of her lies Champ tangled in the sheets with Stephannie cuddled up soundly next to him. Naked. Surprised at her lack of anger and more annoyance she takes her hand and bangs it against the wall. The sound jerks both of them out of their slumber alarmed when Champ’s vision starts to clear from sleep; alarm slowly turning into horror as he realizes the situation his girlfriend caught him in.

“B-babe, this isn’t what it looks like. Let me ex-”

“Save it.” She cuts off more exasperated than anything. Pinching the bridge of her nose and rubbing her temples she sighs before continuing. “This is exactly what it looks like so will you please take ownership for once in your life?!” He snaps his mouth shut as Stephanie sends a snarky look her way not going unnoticed by Waverly. She rolls her eyes and looks dead at her. “You too. I don’t give two craps about this anymore. I knew you were cheating on me Champ, I just didn’t want to bring that shit up.” He wiggles around uncomfortably trying to come up with an excuse.

“Waverly, I was drunk. This means nothing I swear-”

“The hell it doesn’t! Your sorry drunk ass doesn't make it okay but whatever.” She puts her hands down and crosses her arms and looks him straight in the eyes. “I don’t care anymore. You two can go at it all you want now anyways cause’ I came here to break up with you. Not that it matters now anyways…” Champ’s eyes slit before he throws his hands up into the air.

“What the hell Waverly?! _ Now _ ?”

“Yes. I’m tired of just sitting around waiting for things to happen. I’ve changed.” His eyebrows furrow before he widens his eyes as his jaw clenches.

“It’s that dyke, isn’t it? You’ve been cheating on me with her!” She stares at him incredulously making a look down towards the sheets and back up at him.

“First off, so what if it is Nicole? At least she isn’t an absolute shit ticket like you. And secondly no I haven’t cheated on you with her but even if I did…” She juts her chin out at the whole scene in front of her. “Do you see the situation you’re in?” She turns on her heel with a hand on the door about to close it before throwing her head back to look at the two of them. “Hope you have fun picking up Stephanie's bra stuffing later.” The small brunette hears an offended gasp as she shuts the door and struts downstairs to find Fish stationed on the couch with his free hand slung around a sleeping man who looked to be Levi and a mug in the other. He gestures at the cup making a notion.

“Want some? It’s a fresh brew.” She smiles and shakes her head politely.

“It’s fine. I have to head to work soon anyways.” He nods turning back to affectionately stroke the man next to him. Waverly smiles at the sight before heading out back into the cold. Just as she’s about to shut it Fish calls out to her.

“Go get your girl Waves. You’ve been waiting long enough.” She smiles, finally tugging the door open and shutting it hearing the satisfying click as it shuts.  _ One down, only one thing left to do. _ Pulling out her phone, she slowly taps on the keys thoughtfully before pressing send.

**Waves: Heyyy, I was wondering if I could go to your meet today? It’d be so cool to see you kick ass in action :)**

She smiles placing her phone down only to pick it back up at the immediate response.

**Nicole: Ahaha hope I don’t disappoint then >< I’d love for you to come. My practice ends at 3 but we can go to Alberta High together?**

**Waves: Yeah, of course! Good luck tonight, not like you need it😉**

**Nicole: Waves, you’re all the luck I need💜**

* * *

From then on time seemed to be moving in slow motion. With every hour that passed during her shift at Shorty’s it felt like three. The small brunette somehow managed a smile here and there along with her cheery attitude but the second the hands on the clock hit 2:30 she was out running paying absolutely no attention to the gruff men she bumped into on the way out. Practically jumping into the car, Waverly didn’t even realize she was speeding until the car stopped with a jerk. Checking the time, she even had 15 minutes to spare.  _ Okay, okay, breathe. It’s like anything else. I’ll just come out and say it...oh God I’ll have to say it… _

As she walks into the gym she is met with the  _ pleasant  _ view of Nicole’s ass while she was sparring only to be ruined seconds later when the small brunette realized the compromising position Nicole was in...with Shae. A sharp pierce hits her straight through the chest causing her nails to bite into her palms as she stands on the sides of the bleachers watching the older girl attempt to pin Shae down. In the midst of this her throat burns watching the redhead’s breath rise and fall, grabbing for Shae’s ankles she tries to put her shoulders onto the mat only to tangle their legs seconds later. Just as Waverly had just about lost it, Nicole locks the brunette’s knee caps in place and climbs directly on top of her in a mount pin basically sitting between her legs.

Much to the younger girl’s relief, that was enough to end the match declaring the redhead as the victor. As Shae makes a motion to get up however, her eyes manage to lock onto Waverly's for just a second before snickering as she takes her hand and lightly runs her hands on the backs of Nicole’s thighs as they slowly emerge to get up. The older girl, of course, remained oblivious to the action and jokingly swatted her hands away as they rose to a stand and shake hands, exiting off the mats. Suddenly, the redhead’s face melts into a giddy smile as she happily jogs her way over to Waverly without noticing that she ditched Shae in mid sentence. The smaller brunette smiles at her mustering up the courage to go up and wrap her arms around the taller girl encasing herself in Nicole’s protective yet soft embrace. Nicole freezes only for a second, before letting out a soft laugh delicately holding Waverly in her arms. The younger one pulls away only for a second just to lose herself in those beautiful eyes.

“Hi…” She says finally giving a small tentative wave at the redhead melting as she takes in those damn dimples.

“Hi to you too. I take it you liked my exhibition match?” Waverly stills for a second trying to shake out her initial thoughts before playing with their fingers in between them.

“Yeah...I’ve...never seen anything like it.” She manages making the taller girl grin before Shae catches up to them and taps Nicole on the shoulder.

“We should get ready to grab our stuff from the locker room now. Coach wants us to get to Alberta High at 3:30.” Nicole drops their hands and turns to her eagerly.

“Of course, I’ll be out soon. Waves, can we rendezvous at the front?” The smaller girl nods in agreement and the redhead smiles, bringing out the same beautiful dimples. “Cool, I’ll be there soon.” She makes a notion for Shae to follow her before the brunette shakes her head.

“I’ll catch up to you soon. I’ve gotta ask Coach a quick question before we leave.” Nicole nods turning her back to start a quick jog towards the locker room leaving Waverly and Shae awkwardly standing around each other. The smaller girl shifts her weight uncomfortably before deciding to speak.

“Sooo...you’re not actually going to ask Coach Nedley a question are you.” Shae gives her a Cheshire Cat like smile causing Waverly to feel a heavy thud in her chest as she fiddles with her fingers.

“Smart  _ and  _ pretty. It’s no wonder that you’ve managed to trick her.”

“ _ Excuse _ me?!”

“Cut the crap. We all know that she’s just some sort of experimental phase for you. Champ’s just isn’t getting the job done in certain departments right? Look, I don’t blame you for your curiosity but Nicole deserves someone who can pick a side. Not some girl who’s just looking to get some fun flirting.” The comment makes Waverly’s blood go still and it takes every muscle in her body to stop herself from bitch slapping this girl to the other side of the gym.

“You do not get to tell me the validity of my feelings. I genuinely like Nicole, and she’s not some petty object we have to fight over you know? It’s up to her to determine how she feels not us.” Shae throws her a condescending look of pity shaking her head.

“Aww sweetie, I love the whole human rights thing you’ve got going on but let me just ask you one thing. Is Nicole the only girl you’ve ever had ‘feelings’ for?” Waverly stops dead in her tracks; desperately racking her brain for a snarky retort, comeback, evidence, _ something _ . Instead all the smaller one could do was rub her forearm awkwardly begging to disappear into the floor. Shae gives her a smirk before turning around waving her hand.

“That’s what I thought. Stay away from Nicole, you hear me?” She walks away leaving Waverly standing alone dumbstruck, fear clawing at her throat.

_ Is it true? Am I really just trying to seek attention? _

  
  
  


_ I’m...not good enough for her… _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Am I? _

* * *

Nicole is already waiting for her outside by the parking lot by the time Waverly makes it out the door. When she hears the squeak of the door hinges, her head snaps up bringing a smile to her face as she sees Waverly heading towards her with a small wave. Quickly, the redhead stuffs her phone in her pocket, adjusting the strap on her duffle turning to face the younger one.

“Ready to go?” Waverly offers a small smile trying not to let the taller girl pick up on the falter in her normally cheery mood.

“Yup, can’t wait to witness you taking first in districts! I know you’re about to make Purgatory High history.” Nicole blushes fumbling for a response to her compliments. She buckles her seat belt feeling the car hum as it begins to pull out of the school.

“Well-I-I still have a bunch of matches to do before I do _ that _ . But it would be cool...you know, being Ghost River school district's first female champion…”

“Right? It’s like they’ve been waiting for you to take that trophy this whole time.” She laughs softly before holding her breath to take her hand and gently place it on top of Waverly’s. Normally the smaller one would gladly melt and allow herself to indulge in the little affectionate gestures Nicole would exchange with her here and there but after Shae’s words echoed in her head, she reluctantly pulled her hand away placing both hands on the steering wheel trying not to make eye contact with the redhead. For a second she could almost feel the drop in both of their hearts as the atmosphere suddenly grew tense. But all the younger girl could do was inhale a deep breath and exhale trying to convince herself she was doing the right thing. The last thing she wanted was for Nicole to think she was using her in some way or another. Nicole was sweet, intellectual, and selfless...she deserved to have someone treat her right...even if it couldn’t be her.

The rest of the car ride had a thick silence cast over it. Neither one of them attempted to say anything before the minutes continued to drag on all the way until they reached Alberta High. Waverly placed the car in park, turning over to the redhead with an apologetic smile.

“I’m going to circle around to find parking. It’s kinda crowded and I don’t want you to be late for your match. I’ll be in there soon, I promise.” Nicole gives her a slight nod opening the door and closing it carefully leaving the brunette to let out a huff of air dropping her head into the steering wheel trying to force her insecurities out of her chest. 

_ It’s for the best. _ She rationalizes before reigniting the ignition and pulling around to park. But the nagging bitterness inside her never left.

* * *

As she pushed open the doors to the gym, she could already hear thousands of people clamouring left and right. Anxious coaches, apprehensive athletes, and family members all mingling about with excitement waiting for the meet to start. On the bright red colored mats hundreds of athletes are spread out on every corner. Some practice takedowns in the center, others group off into individual drills, and a few practice foot movement and stance. 

Awestruck at the varying types of talent and people participating, Waverly finds a spot near the upper corner in the stands and makes herself comfortable. When she finally sits, directly in her line of vision stood Nicole at the bottom right side of the mats. Head gear on and in her uniform, Waverly couldn’t help but feel a warm sensation of pride bloom within her as she watched her warm up. The taller girl was simply bouncing up and down twisting her hip occasionally trying to keep her muscles warmed up. Her eyes however seemed to be searching for something in the crowd, almost unfocused at the match she was to fight in a few minutes. The small brunette comes up with an idea before taking her phone out tapping onto the keys quickly.

**Waves: Hey youuu, I’m up on the top left hand side. Do you see me?**

**The older girl suddenly spins around scanning her eyes into the crowd before breaking out into a smile seeing a small girl waving her hands furiously above her head to catch her attention. She waves and tosses her a wink while she’s at it.**

**Nicole: Found you ;) I’ll make sure to look towards that side of the stands when I gotta pose for the camera**

**Waves: Well look who’s bein’ cocky?**

**Nicole: Sorry but I’ve got a #1 fan here cheering me on 💗**

**Waverly inhales a sharp breath seeing the text she received. The same anxious tightness in her chest still remained before she carefully typed her next answer trying to divert the conversation.**

**Waves: Do you know when your matches are?**

**Nicole: Yeah, I have five today. First two are girls and the rest are dudes cuz there weren’t enough girls to make a single bracket.**

**Waves: Okay~ Be safe out there!**

**Nicole: 😁😁😁**

* * *

Nicole was dominating her bracket from start to finish. Everyone could easily tell that the redhead was by far the best female athlete in her division. Among the girls she competed with today, none of the matches lasted longer than a minute just because of Nicole’s sheer strength. Both matches ended with a takedown where the taller girl slung her opponents onto her shoulders and whipped them towards the mat. She had more difficulty with the men she competed against naturally just because of the body difference however she still managed to grab an underhook around the backs of their necks and roll them over resulting in two more wins.

Waverly cheered and cheered like she never had before. The crowd went wild everytime Nicole would manage to get on top and pin someone’s shoulders down. And admittedly, even if the small brunette had no idea how scoring worked, she learned to just cheer based off of when something the older girl did looked remotely cool.

There was only one more match to go putting Nicole into the semi-finals. Her last fight was against the champion of her weight bracket last year; the only person that kept stopping the redhead from making her way to the top. Even as they shook hands when they stood in front of each other on the mats, Waverly could see the nerves on her face.

The whistle blew and immediately the man pummeled into her full force. With the adrenaline still running through her system, Nicole quickly puts her arms up in defense as she tries to push back but the nerves made her brain slow and foggy. She attempted to reach for his legs when he sprawled and pushed his hips out putting the older girl in a vulnerable position. Taking note of this, he spins around and takes control of her back. The ref blows a whistle awarding a point for back control and starts them over with Nicole at the center and the guy with full back control. Just before the ref is about to blow the whistle, distraught staining her face, she brings her head up only for a second to find Waverly up in the stands looking directly into her eyes mouthing one sentence.

_ You’re going to make history. _

Her eyes widen with a new charge of determination. The small brunette nods her head with a fire behind her eyes just before the whistle sounds and the taller girl clamps down at the arm trapping her waist before swiftly hooking her other free hand behind his kneecap and rolls over her shoulder. Using the momentum she then pulls his arm out and pushes into his sternum pressing the air out between his lungs and the mat causing his eyes to clench painfully before he taps submitting. With the final thud from the ref, he throws his hand up awarding Nicole the victory with everyone going wild cheering for the redhead’s win. Tears threaten to bubble up as her throat grows heavy as she finally stands up to see everyone in the crowd giving her an ovation. But even in the madness the only face she wanted to see was a certain young Earp who sure enough was looking straight at her, beaming with all the pride in the world. Something in her heart stops and all she can muster is an incredulous grin. She was able to do this, because of her.

Shaking hands with her opponent, she walks off the mats trying to search for Waverly when she is hit by a force so strong it knocks her off her balance causing her to stumble around before she finally manages to catch herself. Looking down she finds Shae wrapped around her hugging her tightly with a proud smile on her face.

“Oh my gosh!!! Nicky, you finally did it! I’m so proud of you!!” They laugh together before she detangles herself from Shae’s grasp to look at her face to face.

“Only took four years I guess. About damn time I got it done.” The brunette chuckles as she gently swats at her arm playfully before tilting her head up to take in the redhead’s face. The face she fell in love with since Freshman year.  _ But today, I’m going to do it. I’m done with the waiting. I love her.  _ She takes the taller girl’s hands into hers taking in a breath trying to sum up the words.

“Why don’t we change out of our gross uniforms? Plus I’ve got some news to tell you anyways.” Nicole tilts her head with a bit of curiosity trying to sum up a thousand guesses to what it could be. Shrugging she nods before they head towards the lockers.

* * *

The second Nicole’s eyes locked onto hers, Waverly knew in her heart that those were the eyes she wanted to stare into forever. Even if the redhead seemed to be filled with this raw uncertainty, insecurity, she wanted to be there with her through it all. She knew that this was the girl she wanted to love and damn it, if she was going to be stuck feeling like this, she might as well face it with honesty.

As Nicole steps off the mat she quickly attempts to make her way down there to meet her. Maybe even find the time to tell her. But just as she reached the bottom, the taller girl was again lost in a sea of people. The brunette searches her eyes through the crowd just for any sign of Nicole, maybe even  _ Shae _ but neither of the girls could be found. Suddenly she spots Coach Nedley standing on the sidelines proudly patting Dolls on the back for his placement in the semi finals. She taps him on the shoulder just enough to grab his attention.

“Hi Coach, do you know where Nicole went?”

“Ya mean Haught? Yeah! Hell of a day for her right? Purgatory’s got a legacy thanks to her.” Fatherly pride adorned his face before a light pink dusts his cheeks causing him to clear his throat quickly before continuing. “Anyways, I saw her head out to the locker rooms earlier. Just down that hall to the left.” She smiled appreciatively thanking him, each step quickening the closer she got. As she carefully fingered the door knob her hands started to feel numb as she delicately moved to push the door open.  _ Just. Be. Honest.  _

With one final huff she steps halfway in, stopping dead in her tracks to find the redhead’s back turned towards her on the other side of the room towards the sinks. With Shae gripping the front of her chest tightly, and their lips sealed against one another in a searing kiss. And all Waverly could do was stand there frozen, watching. Waiting for whatever was left of her heart to slowly fracture.

Crumble.

And break. 

Until there was nothing left to lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S: I had serious writers block for this chapter but then it expanded real quick so I hope this turned out okay...


	6. We Need to Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots to discuss and a surprise visit...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm surprised y'all were so on board with the angst because lemme tell you,even for me it gets kinda intense >w< Anyways, I hope chapter 6 lives up to your expectations and thank you to everyone who has continued to support and read this piece. I wish you all the best and happy reading! ^*^  
> P.S: HomeCon was a lot of fun and I'm so happy we got to show our love for this show in true Earper fashion :)

By the time Nicole and Shae reach the locker rooms, absolute silence engulfs them as they changed out of their uniforms. And with each passing second, Nicole grew more and more anxious.  _ Is this about her mom or maybe a girlfriend? What if she’s sick?? Oh my God, is she going to die???  _ The apprehension clearly apparent on the redhead’s face does not go unnoticed by Shae who simply laughs and turns to face her, catching her wrist mid turn. Their gazes meet, causing the brunette’s heart to stop as she swallows thickly to gather herself trying to push out the words she’s been meaning to say for so long.

“First off, relax. I’m not dying and everything’s fine.” She pokes at her arm jokingly already knowing the worst case scenarios running through the taller girl’s head. Nicole’s shoulders drop in relief making her laugh before the brunette continues. “It’s just...I can’t believe how lucky I am sometimes...Don’t get me wrong, we’ve both had our fair share of fucking up but when I think back to all these years we’ve spent together, I don’t have a single regret.” Shae chuckles awkwardly trying to brush off the nervousness she felt before pulling her hand down to intertwine their fingers together. “You’ve loved me in times when I couldn’t love myself and showed me everything good that is left in this world…Nicole...I love you…” The taller girl tilts her head with a quirk of her lips trying to think of a response.

“Yeah, Shae...I love you too. You needed to drag me in here to tell me that?” Nicole smiles with her dimples showing, making Shae throw her head back and laugh before their eyes suddenly meet and time comes to a stop. The redhead suddenly widens her eyes just as she feels Shae close the distance and their lips meet. Too shocked to respond, Nicole remains frozen, unable to pull away but unable to register any movement when her mind is trying to process a million thoughts a second.

Finally gathering whatever remaining brain cells that were functioning, she manages to put her hands on Shae’s shoulders and pull them apart. She purses her lips together before looking down at her feet, fidgeting with her fingers.

“Let’s...go home...do you mind if you give me a ride? I’ll text Waverly to tell her something came up.” Not knowing what to say they both nod and silently shuffle around to gather their remaining belongings before heading out the doors. Nicole quickly pulls out her phone trying to put together the words properly.

**Nicole: Heyyy, I’m really sorry if I’ve kept you waiting but some sort of emergency came up that I need to address but I just wanted to thank you for everything today...the win that I had today shouldn’t be mine because I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you...Can I see you in person at your house tomorrow to tell you in person?**

She waits for a few minutes staring at her screen intently waiting for a response but it never comes. Giving up, she stuffs it back into her gym bag with a sigh feeling like a complete dick for leaving like this but she also knew she needed to talk to Shae.

Shae eyes her phone while they are walking, knowing full and well what Nicole just sent but says nothing as she wordlessly unlocks the car door and they get in.

* * *

By the time they pull up to the redhead’s house, Shae puts the car into park and they sit in silence simply waiting for someone to break the silence. Nicole breaks first, her voice coming out thick and sympathetic.

“Listen...Shae...I love you, I really do and I wish I could tell you it’s in the way you want me to but it’s not. There are some memories we have that are irreplaceable and forever a part of me but I can’t be the person to give you what you’re looking for...I’m sorry.” They sit in a deafening kind of quiet that roars for a voice, a sound,  _ something.  _ But all Shae could do was clench her hands on the wheel and let the tears roll down her face.

“It’s Waverly isn’t it? She’s got you all wrapped around her finger?” The taller girl drops her head with a heaviness in her chest as her heart breaks a bit hearing the humorless laugh that comes out of the brunette’s lips. “Of course. When am I going to learn that the world is never fair. It just  _ isn’t.  _ I’ve wanted to tell you this for four years and all that this waiting has got me is just...well, here.” 

“Shae-”

“Can I just ask you something?” She whips around to face the other girl, not caring that tears were beyond staining her face, dripping onto her sleeves as she spoke. “What does that girl give you that I can’t?” Her voice breaks at the end but she still looks at Nicole searching for any answer. The redhead drops her head and pulls at the edges of her sleeve searching for the words.

“I’m not about to tell you that I love her yet because even I know it’s too soon.” She pauses for a bit grasping at the feeling to describe it yet the sensation was a bit abstract, even for her. “But, do you ever get the feeling that when you look into someone’s eyes and just know that they mean something to you? It’s just, Waverly’s spent her life tailoring herself to fit the needs of everyone around her. But when I saw her with her guard down on the day we met, I just  _ know,  _ there was something missing that I never knew was gone until that point. Do you get that?” Shae turns away tightening her grip on the steering wheel before finally flicking the lock open signalling she needs to leave. Nicole sighs and gathers her things, about to reach out to her but stops mid way and draws her hand back unsure of how to move on from here. Just before she turns to close the door the brunette whispers something so quietly the taller girl almost misses it.

“But she’s with that boy, isn’t she?” The redhead pauses dropping her head back and lets the bitterness consume her veins. Somewhere deep down she  _ knows  _ this too but her heart can’t stop pulling towards Waverly. It’s the most painful feeling.

“Like you said before...the world really isn’t fair…” She reaches to close the door when she stops mid swing poking her head in one last time. “Shae...this-I don’t think of you any differently and I really want you to be happy.”

“But don’t you get it? How can I be happy when all I want is you?” With that she turns on the ignition and Nicole shuts the door; her footsteps drag along the floor, heavy like concrete. By the time she gets inside and shucks off her shoes she digs through her phone to check for a response from Waverly.  _ Still nothing.  _ She tries one last time to reach out to her for the night in a vain attempt to apologize knowing she probably really did fuck up.

**Nicole: Hey...hope you got home safely...I just wanted to say that I really am sorry for leaving like I did and I want to make it up to you tomorrow. Are we okay?**

Throwing the phone to the edge of her bed she buries herself underneath all her covers trying to stuff all the heaviness in her chest down slowly drifting into sleep.

* * *

By the time Waverly gets home from the match, she hears her phone chime a couple times but she ignores it as she speeds her way back home. A certain kind of thick pain bubbles in her throat making her head hurt as tears threaten to fall but she holds back refusing to cry over something so stupid. Nicole’s affection wasn’t something she was entitled to. If she liked Shae then it wouldn’t be fair of Waverly to tell her that she didn’t want them to be together. She would have to learn to be happy for them. Even if deep down it felt so wrong.

Pulling up the driveway, she jerks the car to a halt and kills the engine. Quickly slamming the door shut the small brunette crams the key into the lock and shoves it open barely bothering to shut it before heading straight to the kitchen and rummaging around for her special Japanese sake. Normally she hated drinking but she just needed to stuff these miserable feelings down until she couldn’t remember anything anymore.

Wynonna comes downstairs rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she hears the cluttering in the kitchen.  _ Haught stuff better not be taking my little sis on the goddamn table.  _ When she turns the corner however, she is met with a sight that she thought she’d never see in her lifetime. There on the floor was her baby girl slouched on the floor gulping down alcohol, her eyes bloodshot as if she’d been crying. Something in her heart breaks at the sight shifting into panic and then  _ rage.  _ Whoever made Waverly into this awful mess was going to  _ pay.  _

The older girl stalks over to where the young Earp was stationed; despair and pain written all over her face and all Wynonna could do was stand and watch helplessly at the sight, wanting to take all the hurt away. She squats down and pulls the bottle away from her hands as she gathers her sister into her arms and lets her cry. 

“Who do I need to hurt, baby girl? Tell me and I will end them.” She seethes holding onto the smaller girl tightly as she feels an endless stream of tears wet her shirt.

“Nicole...left the match with another girl...a girl she was kissing…” It takes everything in Wynonna to not want to stomp over to that girl’s house and smack her up right but she knows she has to be there for Waverly.

“Come on...let’s get you upstairs…” The small brunette reaches for the bottle once again before the older girl pushes her far away from it causing the young Earp to whine.

“Wy, I just want to forget. I need to forget. I don’t want to sit around and think…” she says desperately already half slurring from sleep and on account that two thirds of the bottle was already empty. Wynonna shushes her and sweeps her arms to carefully carry her up the steps.

“I know you do baby girl. And drinking might help you forget the pain you are feeling but it won’t help you forget the reason why it’s there…” Waverly sobs knowing the truth behind the statement clutching her closer as they head to the smaller girl’s room and she places her down on the mattress. When her back hits the bed she sobers up just for a second to reach out for her older sister’s hand.

“Please...don’t leave. I just want you here with me…” Wynonna’s heart breaks a little at the sight as she reaches down to kiss the younger girl’s forehead, nodding before settling down right next to her until they both fall asleep.

* * *

Nicole arrives at the Earp homestead at ten o’ clock sharp. With the third text going unread by Waverly she knew she had to be there in person to apologize and maybe even clear some things up between them.

The redhead rings the doorbell once with a sigh, waiting for an answer. After a few short moments hearing no response, she rings again. Then finally she knocks a couple times desperate to talk to the younger girl. Finally her head perks up to a few stomping footsteps from the inside before the door swings open to which she is met with a very surprised looking Wynonna and then a very pissed one. 

Her brain didn’t even have time to register the force that slammed into her face before she felt the older Earp’s fist meet the side of her face causing her to stumble back and groan. Before glaring back up at the girl who challenges her with a bit of venom of her own.

“Dude what the hell?!”

“You what the hell!” Wynonna barks back, taking a step closer and shutting the door behind them. “I don’t even care that you like someone else Haught. Who you smash does me no concern but I saw the way you dragged my little sis along for the ride just to play around with her feelings and  _ that… _ ” She pauses to take a breath through her nose taking a step forward causing Nicole to stand up and take one back. “Pisses me off the most. Because that pain in her eyes was nothing short of cruel.” Nicole shakes her head trying to clear the confusion racing through it.

“Wynonna what are you even talking about?”

“She saw you kissing some girl dip shit! And then you left her to go home by herself after! How fucked up does that sound to you?! You can’t just come in and flirt with her like it’s nothing and talk to her the way you do and just treat her like that you just  _ can’t.  _ And don’t try to tell me that you weren’t trying to bone her cuz that’d be a dead lie a mile away.” The redhead pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration taking a breath out before letting out a breath indigenous. 

“Wynonna that kiss wasn’t something I wanted okay? She is my friend on the wrestling team and confessed to me yesterday...I told Waverly to leave without me because I needed to take the time to tell my friend that I wasn’t interested and that I already liked someone else. That someone else is Waverly by the way...wait, did you just say she has feelings for me?” She quickly adds in finally seeing the older Earp’s eyes soften a bit finally stepping back to allow a healthy amount of distance between them. 

“Yes, Haught Sauce. Do I need to spell it out for you?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re not just fucking around with her feelings?”

“God no.” The brunette nods and turns to open the door waving her hand behind her to gesture that Nicole could come in.

“You better treat her right and all that shit cause I’m not letting her come home completely broken again. If I find out that you fuck up like that one more time there will be more than a bruise on your jaw, got it?” The redhead nods quickly and Wynonna blows out a puff of air. “Good. Now go work your guys shit out. I am not going to be the middle woman anymore.” With that Nicole makes her way up the stairs as the older Earp plops on the sofa and kicks her feet up before hollering. “Oh, and be prepared. She could be a bit hungover.” Nicole shoots her a look and Wynonna just raises her hands up in defense. Sighing, she finally reaches for Waverly’s door before tentatively knocking on it.

“Waves?” She asks hoping not to startle the girl. Hearing no response she pushes the door open just slightly but not quite entering. “I want to talk Waves...just talk. I know a lot of shit went down and I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to sort it out with you in person but can you find it in yourself to forgive me enough to hear me out? I’ll tell you everything you want to know…” There’s a bit of shuffling causing Nicole to crane her head around the door only to find that the smaller girl is not even aware of the older girl’s presence. In fact she was still sleeping.

The redhead chuckles before quietly closing the door behind her and sits at the edge of Waverly’s bed. Her heart swells with warmth taking in the sight of the young Earp wrapped around in three blankets with a pillow held snugly to her chest. The morning sunlight casts through the curtains perfectly wrapping around her face and it takes everything in the older girl’s power to not reach her hand out to stroke her hair gently.

Suddenly, Waverly finally seems to shift around for a bit; her eyes slowly opening bit by bit as the scene around her comes together. She then catches a blur of some glinting copper locks sitting at the end of the bed, before widening her eyes recognizing the girl who sat at the edge of her bed. Waverly jerks up sitting straight against her bed frame before wincing to press her palms against her head groaning as a pulsing pain shot through her head. Nicole quickly makes a move to get up and walk towards her, reaching for her fingertips.

“Hey,” She says softly running her thumbs on the edges of the smaller girl’s palms in soothing circles. “Do you need anything? Pain medication? Water? Food?” Waverly relaxes into the touch, dropping her head back and closing her eyes with a faint smile.

“I have some Advil in my nightstand and water sounds nice…” Without skipping a beat Nicole gets up to quickly go down stairs and fill a glass with water before rushing back up nearly tripping on every step. She then makes a search for the Advil before promptly placing two red pills in the younger girl’s hands. Waverly takes it gratefully and proceeds to swallow it followed by finishing the rest of the water. Placing the glass on her table she takes note of the nervousness painted on the taller girl’s face before sliding her hands on top of Nicole’s.

“Thank you.” The redhead looks up at her with wide eyes and then flits back down looking at their hands intertwined with one another.

“Don’t be...I’m sorry I left you to go home by yourself like that. It was awful of me but I want to talk to you about what happened-”

“Nicole, it’s okay. I saw and I-I’m happy that you found someone...Shae seems really...really good for you…” Something in the older girl’s chest sinks as she looks away again.  _ But I don't want her, I want you. _ She then pushes herself to grip their hands more confidently and meets Waverly’s gaze with a certain strength that takes the brunette by surprise.

“No.” She says causing Waverly to look at her quizzically. “No, it’s not what it looked like. I-I don’t like Shae. I don’t want Shae. I-” She stops herself, and everything balks in her chest.  _ Wait. This is wrong. Waverly...she’s with Champ. I can’t do this to her...I won’t.  _ She sighs before letting go of their hands and dropping it at her sides. “Shae drove me home and I told her that I already liked someone else. That’s why I left you like that...I hope you can forgive me…” Something in the smaller girl breaks seeing the sight of Nicole with a painful remorse written all over her face. Feeling particularly bold she cups her hands around the taller girl’s jaw and brings it up to look at her face to face; practically melting into the familiar warm brown eyes she grew to love.

“Hey, look at me. It’s okay, really. I’m glad we talked this out but don’t ever feel bad for being honest with how you feel.” For a moment Waverly freezes as she lingers on the redhead’s gaze before flicking down to her lips. Subconsciously, her tongue peaks out to swipe her own almost missing the subtle bob of Nicole’s throat. The smaller girl opens her mouth to say something. Anything. Just to get the feeling off her chest.

Just then Wynonna practically kicks down the door making the both of them jump and scramble away from each other in a haste. Wynonna throws them her usual cocky grin but this time with a touch of bitterness seeps into her the snark on her lips.

“Hate to break up the make-up guys but y'all gotta get your asses outside. Willa’s back from the airport with Gus.” 

* * *

Willa has been away at Fordham University in New York working towards a degree in economics. When she left three years ago and never came back Waverly hardly noticed the difference (maybe she slept in the barn less because Willa used to lock her out of the house on nights she might’ve come home late but that was about it). The oldest Earp sister barely acknowledged Waverly’s presence half the time and seldom on the occasion she did, they were either to sneer or call her selfish for taking up the family’s resources. To say that Waverly didn’t miss her would be an understatement.

The three of them walk out the door to greet Willa with Wynonna leading and Waverly following closely behind. Nicole catches up quickly and whispers into her ear.

“So is there anything I should know about this Willa person?”

“Other than the fact that she’s an asshole?” The smaller girl shoots back matter-of-factly leaving the redhead widening her before nodding her head in acknowledgement. Waverly continues on. “She is my oldest sister and basically left without saying another word to the rest of us when she left for Uni. We haven’t seen her in three years but now…” Her gaze trails to the figure standing at the entrance to Homestead, a few bags in hand. When the older girl’s eyes land on Waverly, chills almost run down her spine as the same callous and cold look from many years ago emerges. Wynonna simply steps over to the girl and crosses her arms; not the slightest bit amused by the sudden reappearance of her “long lost sister”.

“Did the snob fest in New York not have enough bull shit for you?” Willa’s brows crinkle for a bit before deciding to melt into a complacent smile.

“Why would you say that? Am I not allowed to come see my sisters?”

“After just ditching us for three years right after we lost both of our parents? Yeah. I’d say so.” The eldest Earp doesn’t move a single muscle on her face as she moves forward to brush her hand down on Wynonna’s cheek.

“You’ve grown…” She murmurs, still completely ignoring Waverly's presence. Waverly lets out a huff before finally stepping in front to take the bags from her sister’s hands ready to grudgingly take them inside.

“Good to see you too sis! While you two hash out whatever this is, please make yourself at home even if you don’t deserve it.” Willa drops her hand from Wynonna’s face before spinning around to look at Waverly with the same vacant look. She raises her hand about to slap her in the face when Nicole rushes to step in front letting her reflexes catch the hand mid slap before pushing her back causing the older Earp to stumble back a few steps. She shoots a glare at the redhead, irked to say the least.

“And who may you be?” Without faltering Nicole steps in front; gaze unwavering as she towers over Willa meeting her with a menacing look of her own.

“I’m Waverly’s friend, Nicole Haught. And I would suggest you keep your hands to yourself because trust me, you don’t want to pick fights with a wrestler.” Willa sneers at her before spinning around and waving her hand dismissively before she speaks to Wynonna.

“Send away the ginger butch. We’re going to have some family time. I suppose Waverly can leave too for that matter.” Wynonna clenches her fists hard, straightening her back.

“Don’t talk about our sister that way and on that note, Nicole is staying. She came before you did and it would be rude to have her leave because you decided to have a spontaneous rendezvous.” The older girl shakes her head and closes the trunk door.

“As you wish, little sister. Don’t know why you would let Waverly hang around gays though. She might turn into one.” The three of them freeze in place as ice drips into their veins. Wynonna looks as though she is about to snap when all the sudden Gus yells at them from the inside.

“What are you guys doing prancing around out there? Get your asses inside before you get sick!” Grateful for the break in tension Nicole and Waverly swiftly turn and head inside. On the way there the small brunette mumbles to the taller girl.

“Sorry she’s such a bitch. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.” Nicole softens and takes Waverly’s hand in hers.

“ _ I  _ should be the one saying sorry to you. I can barely last ten seconds without wanting to dump her down that well of yours. You had to deal with her bull shit for thirteen years.” Waverly lets out a small laugh, warming the redhead’s heart at the beautiful sound. 

“It wasn’t that bad once you got used to it. She ignored me half the time so I was fine.” Gus meets them at the door ushering all the girls in before shutting the door. Judging by the fact Wynonna and Willa were having a passive aggressive battle at the coat rack Waverly already knew it was bound to be a long day. She grumbles and pushes her palms into her face.  _ This is going to be so much fun. _

* * *

Breakfast went fairly smooth considering that a civil war didn’t break out in the Earp household. Willa remained quiet for the most part and Wynonna kept shoving potatoes down her throat as if she had a bottomless stomach. But everyone could feel the thick silence in the room draping over the dining table like a looming rain cloud ready to pour.

After Wynonna was finally satisfied after her fourth serving before draining her coffee down (spiked with a bit of whiskey of course), she placed the cup down with a small hiccup before turning to face her older sister.

“Okay, so cut the crap. Why are you  _ really  _ here? What, you a drop out now or something?” Willa places down her fork quietly and straightens her posture a bit ready to speak.

“I’m engaged.” Everyone’s jaw including Gus, who was by the sink washing dishes, dropped.

“ _ What?! _ ” She nods unfazed, taking another sip of her coffee.

“His name is Robert. We met in New York on the subway.” The older girl turns to look at Gus. “We’re not having a wedding though. We just came to get your blessing and then have it officiated in Purgatory. We’ll be out of your hair soon enough.” Waverly shakes her head in disbelief. 

“What about school? You only have a year left of your education, how are you planning on finishing it?”

“I won’t.” Willa cuts in bluntly. “I don’t need to anyways. Robert makes a substantial amount of income so it doesn’t matter at this point.” The young Earp raises her voice frustrated.

“You can’t just throw away the money our family spent on your tuition like it’s nothing and you can’t just throw away your  _ life  _ for a man. You graduated with an honors diploma and got into Fordham’s school of Econ! What-”

“I’m not about to be lectured by a ten year old who barely knows anything about life. It’s  _ my _ life. I get to decide what I do with it. As for the money, Robert’s willing to pay the tuition money you have ‘sacrificed’ for me.” Her voice drips with sarcasm at the mention of sacrifice. “And don’t try to patronize me with your talk about family. You don’t contribute anything to the Earp name-”

“Alright, that’s it!” Gus drops the cloth onto the counter before turning to face the oldest Earp. “You need to leave Willa until you can start acting decent to your own kin. Go! Take a walk, do whatever it is you need to do and I don’t want to see you back until you come with a proper apology for  _ everyone  _ here.” Gus gives an apologetic look to the redhead who was fidgeting uncomfortably under all the tension. She smiles back gratefully just as Willa huffs and grabs her things. Nicole gets up as well, putting her plate into the sink before making her way back to Waverly. 

“I should probably get going but I’m glad I got to talk to sort things out with you today.” The smaller girl smiles brightly turning her eyes into wonderful crescent moons.

“I’m glad too. Sorry you had to see things go down like this. Earps always seem to have batshit crazy families.” Nicole chuckles lightly before rubbing the back of her neck.

“Trust me, you won’t scare me off. I’ve seen a bit of crazy myself.” She says before grabbing her coat by the door. “See you around Waves!” The small brunette grins.

“Bye! I’ll text you later!” They share a laugh before the taller girl shuts the door behind her.

* * *

Walking down the streets of Purgatory, Nicole shudders seeing her breath cloud up in front of her. Nothing was more miserable than Canada in the winter. And everyone knew that the brighter it seemed outside, the colder it was in actuality; today was no exception. She rounded the corner about to head into Angel’s Brew when suddenly she felt a hand grip at her shoulder causing her to yelp and instinctively swing her elbow. Lucky for the person behind her, they dodge it and the redhead spins around coming face to face with Willa Earp. A scowl twitches at her face as she drops her arms only to cross them.

“Lovely way to greet someone as usual. Maybe try calling me out or tapping my shoulder like a normal person and I won’t elbow you in the face.” Willa rolls her eyes and walks closer to her.

“Relax for a second will you? I just want to talk to you about Waverly.” Nicole throws her a slanted look, backing away just slightly.

“If I’ve learned anything about you it’s that you’re not worth my time. Especially since you practically made your brand of being a grade A bitch.”

“Better than living a perverted lifestyle.” The redhead rushes forward towering over her inches away from the oldest Earp’s face.

“You are really making it difficult for me to come up with a reason not to hit you. And the only reason I’m keeping my hands from your throat is because this is none of my business.” Willa’s face remains unfazed as she meets her gaze challenging the girl in front of her.

“I just wanted to warn you to be prepared. Waverly is only confused. It’s only a matter of time before you become an experiment to her...after all, I’ve heard she has a boyfriend now anyways…” Something in Nicole squeezes as she tries to keep her composure, not wanting to give Willa the satisfaction of seeing her reaction. She tries to push down her own rising fears and continue denying the truth but in reality...Nicole had no idea what was going on in Waverly’s beautifully intelligent head. For all she knew, they were just really touchy friends. The taller girl leans back and spins around on her heel walking away. 

“I’m not going to try and justify my  _ perverted lifestyle  _ to you but just so you know, at the end of the day Waverly is more than just the people she falls in love with, as am I. And if you think she’s selfish or awful in any way you are  _ far _ worse.” She pulls the door open to the coffee shop letting the atmosphere drown out her thoughts. As she mindlessly toys with the coffee cup in her hands a growing anxiety emerges Nicole tries to push it down in vain. 

_ Willa’s got one thing right; Waverly has a boyfriend...and even if Wynonna was saying the truth earlier about her having feelings for me, I can’t do this to her while she’s with him. I just can’t.  _ People bustle around her table left and right. Some engaged in playful conversation, others type away on their computers, and kids happily sip away at their hot chocolate. But through all this noise all Nicole could find herself in was a dark encasing silence; silence so deafening that it drowned out everything. She could do was get lost in her head fumbling around for answers she didn’t have; answers she couldn’t find.


	7. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly finally stands up for herself and the gang decides to attend a Friday night party. What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm sorry this is coming out a few hours later than I intended. I raced to get this out and proof read it cuz lemme just tell you right now...this chapter is a whooping 8,898 words. With that being said, I hope you all are staying safe during this time and happy reading^*^  
> P.S: Sorry if this bums you guys out but I can't make every chapter 9,000 words :( I promise at least 5,000 every week though!  
> P.P.S: I changed the rating to mature because I've been writing some more hard core content for the future. I won't spoil past that! But I'll be sure to give fair warning in advance if that's not your thing. It won't show up in this chapter but a few chapters later.

_ Waverly laughs as Nicole steps in front of her fully elfed. A small pout adorns the redhead’s face as the young Earp cups her face in her hands and brushes the edges of her jaw; bells jingling with every movement. _

_ “You’re so adorable, I feel like I should knight you with a candy cane!” The taller girl groans before burying her face into the crook of Waverly’s neck. _

_ “It’s not faaaair…” She whines holding her tighter. “The contract never said part of the duties of a police officer includes dressing up for little kids.” The small brunette chuckles, playing with the buttons on her costume. _

_ “No, it’s not...but it sure is cute though…” She states, lovingly squishing Nicole’s cheeks before smiling to lean in for a kiss that the redhead happily accepts.  _

_ What was supposed to start off as chaste quickly turns heavy as Waverly angles her head to deepen the kiss melding their lips. A feeling of love swells in Nicole’s chest as she moves to pull the small brunette towards the edge of the bed resulting in them promptly falling on top of it seconds later; breaking their kiss just long enough to catch their breath. The redhead quirks her lips with a bit of a smirk.  _

_ “Well if this is one of the  _ perks  _ of being an elf, I wouldn’t complain at all.” She manages to get out before the younger girl chases her lips again, this time gently sweeping her tongue on the seams of Nicole’s mouth begging to taste her. To which the redhead happily opens her mouth causing Waverly to moan at the sensation before pulling away leaving both of their eyes dark with want. _

_ “I think you’re talking too much,  _ officer.” 

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An alarm goes off in the background making Nicole jolt up from her bed a bit too quickly, accidentally bumping her head against her head board. 

“Fuck!” She hisses, clutching her skull trying to ease the throbbing pain before flapping her hand around on her nightstand blindly to reach for the off switch on her clock. Shutting it off, the redhead sighs and plops back down head first with a groan.

_ Great. Just another reason to hate Mondays... _ She feels an unfamiliar tug at her chest, as if her heart was reaching for something but it was just out of grasp. The redhead sighs as she flips over rubbing the sleep from her eyes trying to wake up.  _ It felt so right though...that moment, holding her in my arms.  _ Nicole lets out a humorless laugh at the thought. A universe where she had both her dream job and dream girl is a nonexistent one. Especially given her awful luck...and the fact that Waverly was as straight as a pole.

Turning over to look at the time, the clock read 5:35 a.m. Finally gathering herself together, Nicole pushes herself off her bed and prepares to take her morning run. She couldn’t let herself continue to day dream about stupid fantasies. They only made her heart hurt anyways…

* * *

Pulling up to the school parking lot, Nicole shuts off the ignition and climbs out of her Dodge Charger. Unfortunately, an ugly ape face had been waiting for her to arrive. Leaning against the pillar outside the school doors, Champ’s eyes lock onto Nicole’s the second she shut the door to her car. He huffs before pushing himself off and walks over to her; chest puffed out and shoulders pushed back like some sort of territorial Toucan.  _ Gotta fucking  _ love  _ Mondays.  _ The redhead fights the urge to wipe that boyish, alpha look he was wearing. Crossing her arms, she simply leans against the hood of her car and waits for him to make a show of approaching her.

“What do you want, Champ?” The taller girl sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose and wincing as if looking at him made her head hurt. “I have AP History today so please, I don’t need a lecture.”

“I know what you’re doin’.” He sneers at her with all the hate in the world firing behind his eyes. “It’s fricken’ disgusting the way you try to turn her gay.” With that something in Nicole snaps as she jumps forward about to shove him on his face when she stops inches away; close enough that their noses were just barely touching.

“Why do people keep saying that? Has it ever occurred to some people that you can’t just flip your sexuality on and off? What if she’s always had feelings for  _ both  _ guys and girls? Is that so hard to believe?” She growls at him before Champ narrows his eyes and pushes her back just enough to ease the distance between them.

“Fuck off dyke! Everything was fine when we were together until  _ you  _ showed up! You’ve been brainwashing her! I know how your kind really is.” At this point Nicole was just so done with this conversation she doesn’t even bother to argue with this boy-man anymore.  _ This is so god damn ridiculous. Just how many people are going to claim I have freakin’ super powers? _

“Whatever Champ. I don’t need to sit by and listen to you rant about bullshit. She’s  _ your  _ girl anyways. You won. So let’s just drop it, ‘kay?” 

“We’re not together anymore.” Everything in the taller girl stops as she spins around to face him.

“ _ What?” _

“Not that it matters, anyways. She’ll come crawling back to me like always. I just gotta make sure you don’t get in my way.” This time Nicole doesn’t stop. She rushes forward and shoves Champ against the hood of her car, effectively keeping him in place with the grip she had on his jacket. 

“Listen you piece of shit. I don’t give a damn if you call me dyke. I don’t give a damn if you spread your conspiracy theories about me to all of Purgatory. But I will  _ not _ stand by and let you talk about Waverly Earp like she is an object. She is still a person that belongs to herself in her every right and you do not get to treat her as anything less just because you are being butt hurt. Got it?” He nods very quickly as his eyes fill with fear and surrender. “Good.” She huffs before shoving him once more against the car for good measure and walking into school.

* * *

As soon as the fifth period bell rings, Waverly slams her book shut and quickly packs up her things to get to lunch. Lately her AP Lit class seemed to drag longer and longer with each class. She had a few suspicions; most of them starting with Nicole. For the past two weeks since they met, the redhead had made it a habit to swing by her lunch table and talk with her a bit. That is, until Waverly insisted by the fifth day that if the older girl was going to come by so often, she might as well join them. And  _ that  _ is what started making Waverly’s day a hundred times better no matter how crappy the day was shaping up to be.

Peering across the cafeteria, she spots Jeremy waving his hand at her causing a smile to bud on her face as she makes her way over joining Chrissy, Mercedes, and Wynonna.

“Hey guys!” She exclaims, setting down her things as they scoot over to make space for her. Wynonna gives a curt nod of her head towards Waverly’s direction before scarfing down the rest of her lunch. The small brunette scrunches her nose at the sight.

“I don’t know why you don’t let me make a  _ healthier  _ lunch for you. The stuff they give us here barely passes as actual food…” The older girl scoffs, continuing to shovel down scoops of what was supposed to be mashed potatoes and corn into her mouth.

“Hey, this stuff  _ is  _ real food. Got all the fats, oils, and salt I need. You know, what makes things taste good. I mean, no offense sis, but I’d rather not have tofu bacon in my BLT.” Waverly rolls her eyes as she unwraps her lunch (which was in fact a BLT with vegan bacon).

“I’ll have you know that being vegan doesn’t stop food from tasting good, thank you very much. Just let Jeremy speak for himself.” Jeremy waves his hand in acknowledgement looking up from his food before promptly freezing in place as he spots Nicole heading over to their table...with Xavier Dolls.

“Hey, um, Waverly? Quick question. Why the heck is  _ Xavier  _ coming here?” He practically yelled in a whisper across the table to the small brunette. Waverly spins around to find Nicole approaching their table with her usual goofy grin (one Waverly was beginning to fall in love with), and an unusual companion, Dolls. This causes Wynonna to shoot straight up before clumsily rushing to gather her things and dumping the rest of her garbage in the trash.

“Shit!” She mumbles trying to throw on her backpack, heading out the back door.

“Wynonna! Where the heck are you going?!”

“Anywhere but here baby girl.” She hollers at the smaller girl without looking back.

“But you’ll be back in time for next period right?”

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep!” And with that she turned the corner and disappeared. Waverly sighed, shaking her head just as she feels a hand gently placed on her shoulder.

“Everything alright here?” The redhead asks, concern painted on her face.

“Yeah. You know…Wynonna going all Wynonna again.” She shrugs causing Nicole to let out a laugh, hand still lingering on her shoulder. Not wanting to ruin it, the brunette says nothing as she simply makes a motion to make space for the two of them. The two of them take their seats, and Waverly tries not to think about the fact that their thighs are practically brushing up against one another.

“Hey everyone, Haught here’s told me a lot about you all...especially you Waverly.” Dolls greets with a smirk causing the smaller girl’s ears pink a bit trying to hide her face before almost missing the sight of Nicole’s face matching a similar color. The redhead smacks his arm muttering something unintelligible in his ear before he laughs once again and pokes her in the ribs. He then turns to meet Jeremy who remained unresponsive during this time. Taking his straw he tears a piece of the paper wrapping off and puffs into the straw shooting the remainder of the wrap hitting the center of the younger boy’s forehead. Jeremy looks up from his food with a glare, straightening himself a bit.

“Can I help you Dolls?” There was a bit of a bite to his voice but not noticeable enough to draw attention, but Waverly could practically feel the strain in his voice as he tried to tame his temper. Bouncing her leg, her eyes dart back and forth between them. They had always had an unexplained distaste for one another since the second she started Model UN but no one really had a good explanation as to why.

“Just wanted to lighten the mood. You look more pissy than normal...and that’s saying something.” Jeremy rolls his eyes before continuing to eat.

“Well I’m  _ sorry  _ that I don’t feel like entertaining you after spending the past week organizing a convention for one thousand two hundred people. Oh! A job you put on me.” The taller man shrugs crossing his arms nonchalantly.

“Don’t be a drama queen. It’s only creating the schedule and booking the hotels.  _ We’re  _ doing the rest. Consider it your punishment for the resolution you haven’t turned in yet.”

“But you always do this Dolls! You always leave the nitty gritty work that no one wants to do on my watch and leave me to clean up after credentials when it’s 8:00 at night! It’s not fair.”

“Life’s not fair for anyone but you don’t see me bitching about it.” He looks the smaller boy straight in the eyes, gaze unwavering as Jeremy swallows back angry tears. The younger one quickly gets up and gathers his things, turning to leave. Dolls remains stoic and watches him leave. Nicole was the first to speak.

“Hey man, you didn’t need to do him like that. He’s still a kid you know?” The man doesn’t look up from his food as he eats, bite after bite.

“It’s none of your concern Haught.” The group falls into an awkward silence shifting uncomfortably before Waverly jumps as the redhead places her hand on the smaller girl’s thigh.

“By the way, your boyfriend cornered me in the parking lot this morning. Er-I guess I should say ex-boyfriend...I didn’t know you guys broke up?” The brunette grimaces at the memory just as Chrissy’s mouth fell open.

“ _ What?  _ Oh my god! Duuuude, why didn’t you tell me you broke up with that asshole?!...I can call him that now right?” Waverly lets out a small laugh daring to place her hand on top of Nicole’s. 

“Yes you can call him that, and no it wasn’t pretty. I was planning on breaking up with him over the weekend cuz I was tired of dating a shit ticket when I found him in bed with Stephannie.” Everyone at the table cringes at the name as if it left an acrid taste in their mouths.

“Eww  _ that  _ skank? God, I’m so glad he gave you an excuse to dump his sorry ass because I hate to break it to you, but you could do  _ so  _ much better.” Waverly snorts before turning towards Nicole; their fingers remained tangled together as if they were inseparable.

“He didn’t say anything stupid to you did he? I swear, it’s like he has no filter.” The redhead laughs brushing her thumbs on the edges of their hands.

“No, nothing I couldn’t handle…” She shrugs deciding to leave out a few details. Waverly didn’t need to know what people like Champ were saying. And maybe just a bit more selfishly, Nicole didn’t want to tell her in fear that if the younger girl were to hear this, she might pull away from her. And that was something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

“Well, in the spirit of break ups,” Chrissy pipes up with a look at the small brunette. “Now seems like a good time to bring up the party at Robin’s house Friday night. You guys in?” Nicole shrugs, thinking about it before turning to the young Earp.

“I’ll go if you go?” She suggests with a wink as Dolls rolls his eyes. Sometimes it was hard for him to believe that those two weren’t already together considering how obvious Nicole was.

“Oh my gosh, yes! Waverly you’ve gotta go! I already know so many cute guys that are going to this party and some are even in college! Now that you’ve dumped that asshat it’s the perfect chance to...ya know…explore?” Chrissy wiggles her eyebrows trying to get her point across making the whole table bust out laughing...well except for the redhead. She wasn’t thrilled at the idea of having to watch some dude try to get in Waverly’s pants all night. The small brunette laughs a bit before continuing.

“Okay, okay! I’ll go. But not because I need to get laid, Chrissy.” She shoots her best friend a knowing look as the girl raises her hands up in defense with a shrug. “Besides, I already have someone I like anyway.” Nicole nearly coughs mid sip as she drinks her water nearly choking on it as she forces it down. Dolls quirks his eyebrow with a slant of his lips patting her on the back. 

“You alright there Haught?” She nods unresponsive, trying to gather her thoughts, missing the smirk he shot Waverly from the other end of the table. The young Earp’s eyes widened for a bit, promptly detangling her hands from Nicole making a motion to clean up her space. As she makes her way back to the table after discarding her trash she packs everything up, glancing at the clock.

“Well, we should get to class soon. Seems like everyone here is down for your party though Chrissy. What time should we be there?”

“Starts at seven ish? Oh! And invite Wynonna! Word has it that she’s amazing at beer pong.” The small brunette rolls her eyes knowingly. Wynonna was expert at anything along the lines of alcohol. Standing up, she places her hand on Nicole’s shoulder.

“Do you want to go together? We can meet up at my place at 6:30?” The redhead smiles pushing herself up as well.

“Sounds awesome. I’ll drive us.” Everyone stands up right as the lunch bell rings heading off in opposite directions. The redhead turns down the corner heading off to her Criminal Law class. “See you Waves!” She calls out, turning her head to the side catching just a glimpse of the smaller girl giving a giddy smile heading the other way. As she walks down the halls though her mind automatically drifts back to the smaller girl’s comment earlier.  _ She already likes someone else, huh? _ Shaking her head the redhead tries to stuff down any hope with little to no use. Even she couldn’t ignore the fluttering thought that maybe the universe wasn’t so bad after all…

  
  


* * *

“Come on Wynonna! You have to help me.” The older Earp groans before flipping off her stomach and tossing the magazine she had in front of her.

“I still don’t see why you’re freaking out so much. Please don’t tell me that this is for Champ, because I swear to god if I have to listen to  _ one  _ more misogynistic thing out of his mouth I’m gonna-”

“Champ and I broke up.” Waverly cuts in quickly without paying a second glance back at her sister. “What about this?” She holds up a tan cardigan matched with a simple pair of black skinny jeans.

“Mm, pair that with that loose white V-neck over there. And about goddamn time you dumped his sorry ass. So, I’m guessing this is for Nicole?” The smaller girl says nothing and continues to riffle through her drawers.

“Waverly…”

“Okay! Fine, Wynonna! I like Nicole. I really, really like Nicole and the only reason I’m going to this stupid party is because I want to gather up the guts to tell her. Happy?”

“So you like Nicole?” Waverly spins around to find Willa leaning against the door frame with the same insolent look on her face. Crossing her arms, she waits for the young Earp’s answer. The smaller girl pinches the bridge of her nose and pushes out a breath.

“So what if I do, Willa? Does it really matter at this point?” Willa ignores her comment as usual and turns to Wynonna who just went back to flipping through her magazine.

“You knew about this?” She asks Wynonna who continued to read.

“Yep.”

“And you let this happen?” Dropping her magazine she raises her eyebrows with a snort.

“Yeah. Why the hell not?” Willa is fuming at this point.

“She’s running around with  _ gays,  _ Wynonna! And now she thinks she’s one of them which just makes her confused.”

“I’m sorry,  _ now  _ you want to give sister advice? You  _ left  _ for three years Willa! And for the record, your whole “running around with gays bullshit” is really 1950’s stuff. It’s 2020.”

“Can everyone just please shut it for two seconds?!” Waverly yells over their arguing. Both of them close their mouths in shock. Mostly because Waverly never raised her voice. Ever. Not even when Willa bullied her for years. She finally turns to her oldest sister looking dead into her eyes. “Let me make one thing clear. I am  _ not  _ confused. In fact, nothing has been clearer. My whole life everyone’s told me that it’s black and white. That I’d have to  _ choose.  _ And I’ve been shoving this part of me down for so long because it made me feel ugly.  _ You  _ made me feel ugly. So when people tell me that I am confused or that I don’t know what I’m talking about, it disregards all the years I spent asking myself the same question. You think I haven’t tried to pick? Believe me, I have! And if it was so easy then why would I choose to like girls? Why would I  _ choose  _ to make my life harder? But now, for the first time in a really long time I have met someone I want to give the world to, so please explain to me what is so perverted, what is so wrong about that?” Willa says nothing and Wynonna just leans against the bed frame with a smile, giving a nod encouraging Waverly to continue. “So yes, Willa. I like Nicole. But I also like boys. And even if Champ wasn’t the  _ best  _ boyfriend, it doesn’t make my experience less valid.” Willa pushes herself off the door frame about to leave when she pauses halfway in the hall.

“You really aren’t an Earp.” She states with a sneer before walking out the door and shutting it behind her with a slam. Wynonna freezes at the comment leaving the youngest Earp standing there confused.

“What was that supposed to mean?” Wynonna snaps out of it and simply shakes her head walking over to Waverly brushing her hair behind her ear.

“Nothing baby girl. Absolutely nothing. And I’ve never been prouder. You’ve finally managed to grow a pair of balls and fight for yourself. You’ve...grown up.” The older Earp nearly chokes on the last bit but attempts to stuff her emotions down with a cough, turning away before Waverly pulls her into a hug burying her face into her shirt. Wynonna chuckles at the sight but then begins to sniff as her eyes start to water. Pulling away, the tall brunette vigorously wipes away her tears as she faces Waverly. “Now let’s make you hotter than Haught.”

* * *

Nicole arrived at the Earp household ten minutes earlier than planned. Shutting off the ignition she drums her fingers on the steering wheel anxiously letting out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding. Truth be told, the redhead has only been to a handful of high school parties; none of which she particularly enjoyed. The whole set up just seemed like a disaster waiting to happen, not that she was going to tell Waverly that. The young Earp mentioned a few times before about being part of the cheer squad; she’s probably had more stories to tell than Nicole...even if she was two years younger.

Suddenly, the door swings open causing the redhead to jump out of her thoughts, squinting at the light to find Wynonna peeking her head out with a shit eating grin.

“You know, ya could’ve just knocked Haught Sauce!” The brunette hollers from the homestead. Nicole just rolls her eyes and gets out, shivering in the night air.

“I was just getting to it!” The older Earp just throws her a knowing look crossing her arms as the redhead tries to stuff down her embarrassment.

“Whatever. She’s been ready for you anyways. Gus is out with Curtis until tomorrow morning so don’t worry about bringing her home. Just no DUI’s kay’? And with that Wynonna spins around and says a few muffled things before stepping aside to reveal Waverly coming down the steps. Nicole sweeps her eyes on the smaller girl’s form, feeling her heart jump a bit at the sight. In the evening sky with the homestead’s light trailing behind her, Waverly Earp looked like a literal angel. And all the redhead could do was watch in awe. But aside from her appearance, the taller girl quickly realizes that something  _ inside  _ the younger girl had changed as well. Her smile was always beautiful but as she got closer and closer Nicole quickly realized that it seemed different...it was unburdened.

“Hey...sorry it took so long. Are we ready to go?” The older girl fumbles around for words before rushing to the other side to open the door for Waverly.

“Yeah, yeah. No need to be sorry. Uhm, you look...beautiful...inside and out.” The small brunette blushes at the words with a small smile as she steps into the car.

“Well, I’ve got someone to impress today…” Nicole’s mind flies at a million thoughts a second as her eyes widen before shutting her mouth closed trying to shove down all her hopes.  _ Don’t start doing this, don’t start falling down this hole again...you’re only bound to be disappointed just like the other times. _

As she makes her way back to the driver’s side of the car she quickly pats her face to snap herself out of it. If she was going to last at this party, she couldn’t afford to be spacing out now.  _ Especially  _ with Waverly looking like that.

Before long, she pulls out and they start the drive to Robin’s house. For a long while they sit in a comfortable silence simply enjoying each other’s company. That is, until the younger girl notices Nicole’s fidgeting hands. Gently she places her hand on the redhead’s knee, snapping the taller girl out of her trance.

“Hey, are you okay?” Nicole gives a slanted smile trying to ease her nerves. The fact that Waverly’s hand was resting on her knee however was not helping said nerves.

“Uh, yeah. It’s no big deal really. I just...I’m not really a “life of the party” kind of person so these things just make me a bit antsy…” She chuckles, embarrassed at her own confession. Nicole was a senior for crying out loud. What was she afraid of? She winces for a moment expecting Waverly’s disappointment when instead she is met with a sigh of relief.

“Thank god. Parties really aren’t my scene, you know? But I gotta show up sometimes since I’m the head cheerleader. Just all the drinking, and games, and the  _ blah… _ ” The redhead lets out a laugh shaking her head in agreement knowing all too well the kind of rash choices that happen at these types of things. 

“Speaking of which, isn’t this  _ exactly  _ Wynonna’s scene?” The young Earp snorts with a smile.

“Oh yeah. But she wanted the house to herself since her college boyfriend is coming over. Well, not really boyfriend, but it’s pretty much all over the place with her.” Nicole nods in understanding, not really the type to judge. The taller girl just hoped Dolls got that memo but even  _ she  _ didn’t know what was going on between those two half the time.

“By the way, Wynonna said we’re in charge of bringing each other back so if you want to drink feel free. I don’t really have a taste for that stuff anyways.” She scrunches her nose at just the memory. Sometimes she didn’t understand how Dolls could down that much Banana Liqueur in one sitting. Waverly throws her head back with an airy laugh before replying.

“Alright, but just so you know I plan on staying sober. I have a World History unit final to study for this weekend and I  _ cannot  _ waste a single day hungover.” The redhead shakes her head with a smile just as they pull up to Robin’s driveway and by the looks of it, the house was already packed. The door suddenly swings open as a brunette with warm olive skin greets them with a wide smile as she makes her way over to the young Earp.

“Oh my god! Babe! I didn’t know you were coming to this party?!” Nicole’s eyes squint at the word, biting her tongue trying to hold back any words she might regret. Waverly simply squeals, jumping out of the car and into the embrace of the taller girl. All the older girl can do is clench the steering wheel tightly with a smile plastered on her face as she watches this  _ ordeal  _ unfold in front of her.

“Rosi! I haven’t seen you in forever! Weren’t you doing your exchange trip in Greece for another two weeks?” Rosita gives a light laugh placing her hands just slightly above the small brunette’s. Thinking nothing of it, Waverly links their hands together causing something in Nicole’s chest to drop.  _ Of course. Of course Waverly is close like this with other people. What the hell made me think I’m so special? And here I thought I really had a chance… _

The two girls talk for a few minutes longer catching up when Nicole just about has it by the time Rosita starts playing with the smaller girl’s hair. But everything in her just stopped as she looked at the two of them. Who was Nicole kidding? She wasn’t that special. She was just some girl that got caught up in her far more than she intended to. And the worst part is that it wasn’t even the smaller girl’s fault. Nicole just felt really, really, stupid.

Getting out, she slammed the door a bit too hard causing everyone within close vicinity to jump, including Waverly finally realizing she left Nicole alone in the car.

“Oh! Hey Nicole! Rosita asked if she can stick around with us tonight. Is that okay?” The redhead turns her head back for a second before facing forward again waving her hand in the distance.

“It’s fine! I’ll let you two catch up, I’m gonna go inside and get something to drink.” The young Earp furrows her eyebrows at that feeling a slight pang of disappointment that the older girl didn’t plan on spending time with her but before she could say anything Rosita was talking to her again tracing her thumbs on the outside of Waverly’s palms drawing her attention away from Nicole, barely missing the empty look in her she gave them as she eyed the two of them, disappearing behind the door.

* * *

By 8:30, Nicole had already downed countless shots of liquor and was working on a cup of whiskey she managed to nab somewhere along the way. She sat stood on the sidelines observing the scene around her. Flashing lights, loud cheers in the background, accompanied by booming music that seemed to vibrate through her whole body.

Soon after Dolls pokes his head from around the corner breaking into a smile.

“Aye! I’ve been lookin’ all over for you Haught! Wouldn’t take you to be the type to drink alone though...actually, drink at all...” On a normal basis, she wouldn’t have stooped to the level of getting completely shit faced but every time she caught Waverly in the background with Rosita running her hands all over the smaller girl she always reached for another sip. Just  _ anything  _ to kill the horrible emptiness inside her.

“Yeaaaah well you don’t seeeem like the type to be in Modeeel UN but here we arrrre…” She slurs trying to regain her balance as she stumbles over to Dolls right before catching on his arm, pulling herself up. He scrunches his nose at the sight eyeing the cup she had in her hand to be what he identified as whiskey.

“Hey, you okay there Haught? I know how much you hate that shit so why do I feel like you’re completely wasted?”

“Because!” She exclaims, throwing her head back with a smile plastered all over her face as she waves dramatically at the sight of Rosita and Waverly standing in close proximity to each other. “I thought I was reeaal special ya know that?” She laughs humorlessly taking another sip of her drink splashing some of it on her shirt. “She made me feeeeel thinnngs Dolls. Thinngs I haven’t felt in a looong time and that  _ Rosie  _ just waltzes in here and makes me feel dumb…” She looks down at her feet running her hand through her hair as the familiar empty feeling threatens to fill her chest again. “I juss thought...I had a chance. But who am I kidding! She’s Waverly fucking Earp! Fuckin’ living angel! And I’m juss meeee...a broken queer with nothin’ left to give…” At this point something in Dolls breaks piece by piece watching his best friend rip herself to shreds. It was almost  _ awful  _ knowing how Nicole really thought of herself when she had no barriers to hide behind. He claps a hand on her shoulder and looks straight into her eyes, gaze unwavering.

“You Nicole Haught are  _ not  _ just some broken person. And even if you don’t remember this tomorrow, I need you to know deep down that you are a leader, a fighter, a  _ survivor.  _ With all the shit life threw your way you could’ve bailed at any moment and no one would have blamed you. You could’ve given up and left but you didn’t; not only that, but you  _ refused  _ to be beaten. So what do you do? You came out of it and fought like a goddamn war machine Haught. And dammit, even if it hurts right now, I need you to snap out of this too.” The second the words register, her eyes begin to well up with tears falling down the edges of her face and all she could do was bury herself into Dolls’s shirt and sob. Somewhere along the lines she feels a gentle hand on shoulder making her whip around to meet Waverly’s wonderful hazel eyes that she could just get lost in.

“Hey...sweetie...what’s wrong?” The words only make Nicole’s heart hurt even more knowing that this girl was the one thing missing in her life that she could never have.  _ Everything.  _ She wants to say.  _ Everything is wrong with it and it hurts because I can’t get rid of these feelings.  _ But before she could say anything her knees buckled as the exhaustion began to kick in. Thankfully, Dolls was waiting right behind her, ready to hold the redhead up. He turns to Waverly with an undertone of sadness in his voice.

“You guys came together right? Do you mind if you drive her home? She’s totally wasted.” Waverly nods in understanding, quickly detaching her fingers from Rosita and rushing to Dolls’s side to help him bring the redhead to their car.

After a long effort to get Nicole in, Waverly finally shuts the door and lets out a huff, staring straight forward for a second before turning to see the older girl slumped forward sleeping peacefully with tear stained cheeks. Her hair was strewn all over the place and sticking up all over the place but the young Earp didn’t care. She brought her hand up to brush a stray hair behind her ear watching the taller girl’s chest rise and fall with each breath.

_ Who hurt you sweetie? I’m going to hunt them down and make them hurt the way they hurt you. Anything to make this go away… _

Sighing, she turns on the ignition and heads home; a heavy ache in her chest lingers through the entire drive.

* * *

The lights to homestead are still on as Waverly puts the car into park. Wynonna opens the door quizzically wondering why they were home so early considering the young Earp said they’d be home  _ hours _ later.

“Wynonna! Can you help me? I’ve gotta bring Nicole inside.” The tall brunette rushes over to her side taking the other arm and slinging it over her shoulder as they attempt to find some sort of unified rhythm to get the redhead through the door and up the stairs. Doc is already waiting for them at the front entrance holding the door open with his usual gentlemen-like appearance.

“Why, hello there Waverly Earp. To what do I owe your acquaintance at this hour?” She smiles a bit struggling to get her shoes off as Doc reaches down to help get Nicole’s.

“Hey Doc, sorry about this...I hope I didn’t...interrupt anything…” The older Earp scoffed, finally kicking off her left combat boot. 

“Baby girl, we  _ been  _ doing our thing for a few times now.” She says with a wink. “You’re all good. Plus, Doc has the early shift at Shorty’s tomorrow so he was gonna leave in an hour anyways.” He nods in agreement stepping out of the way to allow them to pass by him as they make their way up the stairs trying to fit all three of them.

“Shall I offer my assistance or are you going to be alright?”

“We’ve got it from here, thanks Doc!” With that he tips his hat and strolls over to the front entrance tidying up a few things here and there when the two Earp sisters finally reach Waverly’s bedroom. Triumphantly, they plop the redhead down on the mattress with a huff.

“Haught damn, you make a heavy drunk.” Wynonna mutters at Nicole staring at her from a distance; limbs splayed all over Waverly’s bed. She turns to the small brunette, seriousness written all over her face.

“Either that narc isn’t as much of a goody goody as I thought she was or some real fucked up shit happened.” The young Earp sighed looking at the sight in front of her. Her breath hitched just a bit as the sounds of Nicole’s sobs rang through her ears making everything in her want to cry out in pain at the sound.

“I...honestly don’t know what happened...she left me and Rosie early on in the night and next thing I know I heard her sobbing into Dolls’s shirt.” Wynonna lets out a breath before turning to walk out the door, pausing at the entrance.

“You need any more help from here or you got it?” Waverly remains quiet for a bit holding onto the redhead’s hand gently, lacing their fingertips.

“I’ve got it.” She finally manages to get out after a long moment simply staring at the sleeping girl’s form. With that Wynonna steps out giving the two of them some privacy. After what seemed like a long while, Waverly finally stands up and riffles through her drawers for a pair of over sized black sweat pants that were too long for her and a large red hoodie she stole from Wynonna. Making her way back to the bed frame she stands there contemplating her next move. On the one hand, she didn’t want to sleep next to the pungent scent of alcohol but she also didn’t know if she would be overstepping her boundaries by changing her.

After a long thought, she finally settles for a happy medium covering the tops of her eyes with one hand blindly fumbling for the hem of her shirt with the other. It took more effort than she initially expected but after a few tries she finally managed to pull off the redhead’s white t-shirt and set it alongside her bomber jacket on the floor. Quickly pulling the hoodie over Nicole’s head, she then pulls one arm through each sleeve successfully finishing the upper half. The jeans on the other hand were much harder to pull off considering that they were  _ so  _ damn tight. After pulling it down her knees, she found herself unintentionally swallowing heavily at the long legs beneath her as she straddled her lap to pull on her pants. 

Shaking her head she internally scolds herself knowing how wrong it was to be staring when Nicole couldn’t give consent. Jumping off the bed, she heads towards her bathroom and grabs a small hand towel from beneath the sink before wetting it and wringing the excess water. Slowly, she approaches the taller girl from the side kneeling just beside her to wipe her face clean. A few minutes in however, the redhead begins to stir, before sleepily blinking her eyes open to find Waverly gently wiping at her face.

“Waves?” She croaks, her voice still hoarse from both exhaustion and use. Waverly tentatively smiles down at her cupping her jaw.

“Hi Nicole, how are you feeling?” The older girl averts her eyes as they start to well up again, not wanting the smaller girl to see her tears. But the younger girl catches them anyways and brings her eyes back to her. “Oh Nicole...what’s wrong? Who hurt you?” Suddenly Nicole sits up straight and backs up against the headboard as if Waverly was something to be afraid of. She defensively curls up into a ball pulling her knees to her chest burying her face.

“It’s youuuu…Waveeyyy how could you hurt me? Why does it hurt sooo baaad?” She slurs but every ounce of betrayal comes through her words, hitting the brunette like rocks.

“W-What? What do you mean? Nicole, I’m sorry if I hurt you...can you tell me what I’m doing wrong?” Nicole’s shoulders begin to shake and everything spills out of her. All the insecurities and burdens she tried so hard to hide came pouring out since being drunk unfortunately left no walls for her to protect herself.

“I thought I waaasss special Waves...I knooow, we’re friends aand I’m a dyke so I should know better than to fall for you but I couldn’t get riiid of theeese stupid feelings aand everr’one kep’ on sayin’ how I was brainwashin’ you and that yourrr confused.” She sniffed for a bit before gathering up all her scattered thoughts in what was left of her consciousness. “But I  _ know  _ you’rrre not confused! You knooow exactly who you are and I looove that!” She giggles to herself thinking back to all the Model UN speeches she rehearsed to her and the way she smiled at her before they left for the party. The young Earp doesn’t know how to respond as her heart flutters in her chest at every confession that comes tumbling out of Nicole’s drunken lips. “When I saw you smile when I picked you up...I was happy cuz I thought...I thought it was only for me. But then I saw that you juss gave it out to everyone; acted that way with Rosita and em’ and I realized how dummmb I’ve been, thinking that you felt the same…” The redhead bunches up into a tiny ball once again letting her shoulders shake and the pain overtake her, when suddenly a pair of warm arms envelop her, holding her tight and never letting go.

“Gosh, Nicole, I never want you to feel average because in my eyes you are so extraordinary…gosh, how did we let things get so mixed up?...Of course I feel the same.” After whispering the words, Waverly finally feels all the tension in the taller girl’s muscles relax and fall into a trail of mumbles. 

“You are sooo pretty and I reeaally reeaally like youuu…” she murmurs to no one in particular causing the smaller girl to let out a gentle chuckle before finally tossing the forgotten towel onto the floor and pulling the two of them under the covers. As she wraps her arms around Nicole’s strong and muscular figure she sighs in content feeling the lull of sleep approaching as she counts the steady breaths of the redhead beside her. She breaths in and lets out a breath pulling the taller girl closer to her.

_ Huh...vanilla dipped donuts...my favorite… _

**………….**

Nicole groans, waking up to the harsh sunlight peeking through the windows. Her head was pulsing in waves and all she wanted to do was close her eyes. Rolling over she buries her face into something soft and warm; if she didn’t know any better, the taller girl would’ve assumed it was Waverly. But that was impossible considering that she was at home in bed and Waverly was far-

There was a sudden shift in the bed next to her causing the older girl’s eyes to fly wide open to find the young Earp’s small form curled up against her, Waverly’s beautiful chestnut waves cascaded down her face seeming to glisten in the sunlight. Everything in Nicole stops as she suddenly freezes to recall all the events from last night.  _ There was the party? Uhm, Rosita...oh lots of peppermint shots...and uhhh… _

She pushes herself a few inches away from the smaller girl trying to keep a respectable distance (which was hard considering that there wasn’t much space to move since they were sharing a bed).  _ HowthefuckdidIgethereHowthefuckdidIgethere...what are these clothes??? _ There is another shift in the bed as the young Earp whines a bit pawing her hands for something.

“Noooo…” she mumbles fumbling her hands around before finally finding what she was looking for which happened to be Nicole’s waist. She then pulls her closer, sighing in contentment at the contact burying her face into the crook of the redhead’s neck. A blush threatens to creep up on the taller girl as she laughs awkwardly and places a gentle hand on the small brunette trying to shake her awake.

“Uhhh hey Waves?...Waaaves? I don’t think you know that you’re using me as your bonus blanket right now…”

“No.” She mumbles before tilting her head up to meet the warm brown eyes she began to fall for all over again each day. “I know exactly what I want.” She then pulls her impossibly closer, making Nicole tense up again at first before she decides to test the waters and wrap her arms around the younger girl’s delicate frame.

“I’m confused...are we?...”

“I was going to wait for you to be sober before I said anything.” Just as the words left Waverly’s mouth, another wave of pain shot through the older girl’s head making her groan and push her palms into her temples. Waverly immediately gets up in understanding and quickly readies a cup of water and some pain reliever to which Nicole gratefully accepts and downs everything hastily. The small brunette watches with a small smile chuckling at the sight.

“I think this is the universe telling us between the two of us, we’ve  _ gotta _ stop drinking.” The redhead laughs at that, placing the cup down on the nightstand next to her.

“Agreed. I usually hate that shit anyways. Also, now that I’ve got  _ some  _ semblance of sanity can you please tell me what the hell happened last night and why I’m in your clothes?...We didn’t...we didn’t  _ do  _ anything right?” As the taller girl flaps around her hands trying to get the message across, nothing but endearment adorns Waverly’s face as she links their hands together bringing their eyes up to meet one another.

“No, we didn’t do anything. And even when I changed you I did it covering my eyes I swear.” The young Earp blushes at the memory looking away to hide her embarrassment making Nicole smile at how adorable this girl was even when she wasn’t trying to be.

“I believe you.” She says gently. When the younger girl looks back at her, the redhead see’s something shift in her eyes before they quickly drop to her lips. She tries to swallow subtly, her tongue unintentionally peeking out between her own as everything screams at her to just kiss the smaller girl. But despite the situation she found herself in this morning, she couldn’t assume anything of it. Bringing her eyes up she finally manages to ask the question she’s been wanting to for weeks.

“So...Waverly...what...what are we?” The young Earp lets out a melodious laugh that would usually make Nicole’s heart stop but now it only made her feel stupid. “Uhh...it’s okay. Forget I even asked…” she mumbles and begins to pull away when a hand catches at her wrist.

“No! Hang on, hang on.” The small brunette chuckles for a bit longer trying to gather herself before speaking. “It’s just that...you really don’t remember what happened last night, do you?” The taller girl shakes her head waiting for more. Waverly plays with their fingers for a few seconds before continuing. “You got  _ really  _ drunk last night, and Dolls came by to check up on you but by the time I got there you were already crying and I had no idea why. But with a little bit of help we managed to get you home safe...well my home at least. I have no idea where you live so I found your phone and texted your grandmother that you were safe and spending the night at my house. She said it was fine by the way. Anyways, Wynonna helped me get you up the stairs and by the looks of it, you got pretty wasted last night so I figured it’d be better to change you out of your clothes since they reeked of whiskey and there was no way I wanted to smell that all night…” They both share a small laugh in agreement enjoying the mellow atmosphere. “But then you kinda woke up as I was wiping your face and you started crying again…” Waverly’s voice breaks a bit at the memory before she finally brings her hand up to cup Nicole’s jaw making the older girl’s eyes go wide as they simply looked at each other. “Nicole...what I feel with you is something I’ve never had the chance to share with anyone else. You were right last night; I’m not confused. And I don’t know who keeps telling you otherwise but I wanted to make sure you were sober so I could do this…”

Before the redhead could even register what was happening, the distance between the two of them closed as Waverly pressed her lips to hers and the feeling was  _ electrifying.  _ Nicole’s eyes snapped closed as she instinctively brought her hand to Waverly’s waist and pulled her closer so that she sat in between her legs. Before long though, she felt the deft sweep of the smaller girl’s tongue making her growl a bit and pushing her back against the mattress so that she was straddling Waverly between her legs. The younger girl lets out a gasp tugging on the edges of Nicole’s hoodie crashing their lips together with hunger when the older girl finally slides in her tongue gently sucking on her bottom lip. Hands run up and down her ribs underneath her hoodie making the taller girl moan into Waverly’s mouth; the sound involuntarily causing Waverly’s hips to jump up coming into contact with Nicole’s. At this point the pressure was building between the both of them and it took everything in Nicole to not press her hips back down into her, but she knew they couldn’t take things too far yet. There were too many feelings that were left unsaid.

Regretfully, Nicole pulls away slightly tugging on the smaller girl’s lower lip with a smirk on her face when her eyes meet Waverly’s darkened pupils; probably mirroring her own.

“Wow…” was all the young Earp managed to get out as she tried to catch her breath, still reeling from the mind blowing kiss. The redhead smiles as she gently traces the side of her face with the pads of her thumb.

“Definitely wow…” She says with a smile practically glowing her face. Taking in a breath through her nose she then exhales looking straight at the brunette beneath her gathering up everything in herself to finally say it. “Waves…” She starts, her hands begin to twitch. “I think, I really, really, like you…” Nicole looks away, not quite able to meet her eyes after the confession. She felt so raw and bare with nothing left but pure open honesty and it  _ scared  _ her.

“I really, really like you too…” Waverly whispers, trailing her hand up the older girl’s arms to bring them up around her neck and stare at the sight above her. Nicole looks back with a sort of new found joy in her eyes right before she leans in to join their lips again, her mouth already aching for Waverly’s, when suddenly the door bursts open leaving both of them scrambling off the bed and the redhead quickly falling off with a groan. Wynonna watches the sight with a snark on her lips and tosses them a knowing look.

“About  _ damn _ time! God, you guys were basically boning each other with your eyes for the past few weeks, I'm surprised no one’s pregnant. Glad to see that your guy’s clothes are still on though.” Waverly finally gets up from her scattered place on the other side of the bed tossing an annoyed look at the older Earp. 

“Good morning to you too Wy. Ever heard of something called knocking?” The tall brunette shrugs and leans against the door frame crossing her arms.

“Eh. Just thought you might wanna know it’s 1:00 and I was starting to get worried. Oh! And also Gus and Curtis are gonna be back in a half hour so y’all might wanna scooch your boots.” She turns to Nicole who was still sprawled up against the bed frame rubbing her forehead at the bruise she was probably going to get tomorrow. “I know the bar’s set pretty low with Champ being Waverly’s latest  _ escapade _ but just so you know, you hurt my baby sis and I will end you and all that good shit. Got that?” 

“I would never intentionally hurt her Wynonna.” With that the older girl pushes herself off and heads out with a small smile.

“Good. You’re the first person I’ve ever believed.”


	8. Wayhaught Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of fluff and tying up some loose ends...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you don't hate me but this is kind of a filler chapter. I promise that the next chapter there will be some BIG reveals so hang tight if you can ^^ It never fails to amaze me the kind of positive feedback I've gotten from this piece and I've never been so grateful to be a part of a fandom like this. Stay safe everyone, and I wish you all the best!

For the first time in a long while, a smile bloomed on Waverly’s face taking note of the wonderful surprise waiting by her locker. Which of course, happened to be her hot as fuck senior girlfriend, casually leaning against edge of the wall with her back turned to the smaller girl. The young Earp’s heart jumped at the sight of Nicole in her ripped jeans, white Henley, and olive green vest. To top it all off she even wore a black snap back leaving her flowing red locks cascading down her shoulders. And she was _all_ for Waverly to enjoy. 

Deciding to sneak up on her, she slowly approaches her girlfriend from behind and wraps her arms around the redhead’s waist, burying her face into the taller girl’s back. Perhaps the scene was a bit comical considering that Nicole was a good half a foot taller than her but she couldn’t care less. All she wanted to do was hold onto her tight and breathe in her favorite smell in the world; vanilla dipped donuts.

The older girl chuckles at the sensation, turning around to meet Waverly with her signature dimpled smile. When the small brunette finally looks up at the redhead, she gasps taking note of the flowers in her girlfriend’s hands.

“What?...Oh my god, Nicoooole! What are these even for?” The taller girl grins pulling her hand on the young Earp’s hip, pulling them impossibly closer until the tips of their noses were touching.

“No reason at all baby. Cuz there shouldn’t need to be a reason for me to tell you just how much I adore you...also helps that this is our first school day together…” Together they share a laugh as the brunette sticks her palms out greatly accepting the flowers, taking in a deep breath enjoying their sweet scent.

“I love them.” She says as she studies the flowers. Turning the bouquet around she notes that as pretty as the petals were, they were unlike anything she had ever received. As she opens her locker to stuff her things, she gives a tilt of her head, eyebrows scrunching deep in thought. “I do have to ask though...is there a reason you chose yellow roses with red tips?” Nicole smiles even wider at the recognition, clasping her hand in Waverly’s, shutting her locker door for her before tapping on the smaller girl’s nose playfully.

“My _smart_ baby.” She says with a laugh dragging her hand along through the halls to the younger girl’s first class. “I did a bit of research. Apparently, different color roses mean different kinds of things. Red is for love, purple is infatuation, and yellow is for friendship.” They take a turn down the hall, fingers still tangled in one another not daring to let go. “But _this_ kind of rose has a special kind of meaning because the red tips in contrast with the yellow means friendship budding into love.” The words slip out of her mouth a bit too quickly before she realizes what the words even meant. “Uh-not that, you know, I’m in love yet or anything but, you know just-” Waverly cuts her off with a small peck on the side of the older girl’s cheek, causing Nicole’s eyes to widen a bit while her mind short circuits, effectively putting a halt on her rant. She looks down at the blush that was beginning to paint the smaller girl’s face as they stare deep into each other’s eyes.

“It’s perfect.” The small brunette says with a smile. Her eyes turn into adorable crescent moons making Nicole heart thump all over again. God, she couldn’t remember the last time she felt like this. 

Unfortunately they finally make it to the young Earp’s World History class meaning that they would have to part ways until lunch. The taller girl stands outside the door for a second as if her feet were suddenly glued to the floor; hand still intertwined with her girlfriend’s. She doesn’t know why it was so difficult to let go even if it was just for a few hours. I mean, it’s not like they weren’t going to see each other for _days,_ but to Nicole it just about felt like it. Waverly finally finds it in herself to detangle her fingertips from the redhead’s grasp, giving her the same longing look in her eyes. 

“It’ll only be for a moment sweetie. I’ll see you at lunch okay?” The redhead sighs giving an affirming nod before letting another smile flit on her face.

“Oh! And we’re going to get them so good right?!” Waverly laughs as she reaches up to pat her girlfriend on the cheek.

“Yeah. Whatever you want Nic…”

* * *

On most days, AP Lit could never come fast enough. But today, all Waverly could do was look at the clock waiting for the bell to ring. Following AP Lit was lunch, and at this point, the smaller girl was practically dying to get out of the class. Since they had just started their classic lit evaluations, it was a silent work period to get a good start on their essays. But every time the smaller girl started a sentence on her laptop, she would delete it right away feeling uninspired to write anything insightful about _Giovanni’s Room_ by James Baldwin.

Chrissy however took note of Waverly’s leg frantically bouncing up and down; a habit she only did when she was nervous or distracted. Nudging the young Earp with her elbow, Chrissy promptly draws Waverly out of her head with a raise of her eyebrows.

“Hey, you okay there? You’re like...shaking the whole table.” She whispers to the small brunette causing her cheeks to redden a bit as she forces her leg to stop, giving her friend an apologetic look.

“Sorry, just...can’t figure out what to write. AP Lit is kinda a drag today.” Chrissy feigns shock putting a hand to her chest with her mouth in a gape.

“ _Waverly Earp,_ I would’ve never suspected those words to come out of _your_ mouth. I believe it was you who told me, and I quote: Lit class is the most important class because it forces us to critically think about the world around us.” She says in her best Waverly impression, immediately earning a glare from the smaller girl. 

“First of all, I don’t talk like that!” She whisper yells, playfully smacking her friend’s arm causing Chrissy to muffle her laughter with her hand. “And _secondly,_ I do love Lit class, it’s just that my mind is flying at a million miles a minute right now and I’m trying to organize my thoughts.” It wasn’t too far from the truth. Her mind was practically flying with thoughts...she just omitted the fact that currently, most of them revolved around a particular redhead. 

Just as the taller girl opened her mouth to respond, their teacher clears her throat behind them causing both girl’s spines to stiffen a bit to meet Ms. Martin’s steely gaze. She gives a pointed look at the two of them with her eyebrows raised.

“So just double checking, we’re being productive over here right?” Both girls nod their heads vigorously not wanting to get caught on Ms. Martin’s bad side. It’s hard enough that she was the only AP Lit teacher (and a bad one at that) but she was even worse when it came to grading. And if Waverly wanted to be valedictorian, she needed to get through this class.

“Yeah, we’re fine. I was just helping Chrissy come up with her thesis statement for Dracula...I just got a little side tracked.” The smaller girl offers a sheepish smile hoping her teacher wouldn’t inquire further. Ms. Martin finally nods pursing her lips before turning to Chrissy with a look of worry on her face.

“You were supposed to be done with your graphic organizer by now Nedley...I mean, I won’t micromanage the two of you since you girls are in an accelerated class so I will treat just as I would my seniors and juniors. But just in case you guys need the help,” She slips her hand into her pocket, promptly pulling out an orange pad of study hall passes and ripping one out for each of them. “I suggest you get in touch with the students in the Fish Bowl. I know an old student of mine who can get both of you caught up. After all, I’m not giving extensions on this project.” The older woman walks away off to chastise another kid from the table next to them as they look down at their orange slips with a sigh. Spending study hall in the Fish Bowl was no fun. It was in a small room next to the main office with no windows or A/C. Plus, study hall was Waverly’s time to get the majority of her math homework done so she wouldn’t have to do any later. 

Her eyes snap up as she hears a loud crumple of paper watching Chrissy stuff the slip into her backpack for it to be forgotten. The young Earp arches an eyebrow at her friend giving her a pointed look.

“What?” The taller girl says defensively, throwing her hands up. “I have to make up a Physics lab today anyways so I don’t have time to go. I mean, do you want to?” Truthfully, no. But she knew she would fall behind if she didn’t start writing soon. Letting out a puff of air, she groans before shutting her laptop seeing that it was already almost time to go.

“Might as well. I’ll be spending time in study hall writing it anyways. Wouldn’t hurt to get a second opinion.”

With that the bell finally rings and the two of them quickly stuff their bags and push in their chairs; both eager to leave for different reasons.

* * *

By the time they got out the door, Nicole was already waiting for her. She leaned against the wall, lips pulled into a dimpled smile as Waverly’s eyes met hers. Pushing herself off, she makes her way over to her girlfriend when suddenly a voice calls out to her.

“Haught! It’s been a damn minute! Get over here girl!” The redhead’s face blooms into a smile as she greets her old AP Lit teacher with a hug.

“Hey Ms. Martin! Sorry it’s been a while. I just finished wrestling season but I’ll be back to T.A soon enough.” The teacher claps her on the shoulder in good nature letting out a laugh.

“Oh, don’t even worry about that. You get back in my class whenever you’re ready. And as for your wrestling, don’t think I didn’t hear you kick some serious ass. Coach Nedley’s been parading you around like his personal purse dog.” The taller girl laughs rubbing the back of her neck shyly. She never knew how to take compliments very well.

Feeling someone approaching her side, she turns to see Waverly greeting her with a small smile tugging gently on her sleeve with Chrissy close behind her. Nicole melts into a smile, tangling their fingertips together exactly as her heart had been aching to do since they parted this morning.

“Hi wonderful, how was class today?” The younger girl smiles at the name shuffling just the slightest bit closer to her girlfriend.

“Good...a bit mentally drained but good...I have to go to the Fish Bowl later though since I’ve been falling behind on my Lit paper timeline.” The redhead gives a tilt of her head about to say something when Ms. Martin cuts in.

“Oh! I had no idea you two knew each other!” She turns to Waverly with a bright smile on her face practically glowing. “You see Nicole here, is the purgatory high’s _best_ Lit tutor in the Fish Bowl!” The taller girl smiles with a slight roll of her eyes.

“Ms. Martin, I’m your _only_ Lit tutor for the Fish Bowl.”

“You hush now, I know you’re just being modest.” They share a laugh as the small brunette watches the sight completely dumbstruck; Chrissy mirroring her face from behind, just as shocked. “Well I won’t keep you all here much longer. Go enjoy your lunch now, I’m sure you’ve worked hard today.”

“If you say so…” The teacher throws her a look before heading back into her class and shutting the door leaving Waverly and Chrissy both completely speechless. Nicole was the first to break the silence as she drags her girlfriend around the hall, heading to the cafeteria.

“Man, I didn’t know you guys had Martin! Damn you guys are so lucky…” The blonde spins around with her mouth hanging open.

“What did we seriously just witness back there?! I mean, all year long Martin has gone off the rails from the curriculum and it’s seriously tanking my grade in her class cuz I have _no_ idea what she wants from me in that class.” The older girl chuckles, running a hand briefly through her hair.

“That’s exactly why I love her. God, everyone here is so by the book it drives me nuts sometimes. Martin pushes you to think past conventional wisdom.” She turns to Waverly with a half slant on her lips. “I actually thought you’d like her.” The small brunette shifts uncomfortably as she searches for the words while they enter the cafeteria.

“It’s not that I _dislike_ Martin, it’s that she scares the crap out of me. Like, this is the first time I’ve heard her swear _ever._ And it wasn’t even in our class!”

Dolls waved at them from across the room placed at their usual table. Wynonna was nowhere in sight (like the last few times), Mercedes was ranting about the latest gossip, and Jeremy was sitting _far_ away from Dolls all the way towards the butt end of the bench. Chrissy bounds over with a wide smile leaving Nicole and Waverly to head over at their own pace. The two of them share a secret smile giggling a bit. Both of them had refrained from telling their friends up until this point that they were together so Nicole suggested that if the young Earp was going to come out to her friends, it might as well be funny. 

As they approach their table, both of them untangle their fingers just for a second and sit down to eat. The usual excitement and chattering fills the table as conversation is exchanged back and forth. Some are mindless like Mercedes’s newest conquest, others more pressing, like Chrissy frantically asking the group last minute questions about her lab analysis that is due next period. Either way, Nicole would pick this over the “jock squad” any day. _Especially_ now that she had her hot as hell girlfriend right next to her.

The two of them take their seats, careful to keep their hands to themselves...for the most part. Chrissy taking note of the young Earp’s presence quickly stuffs the lab report in front of her face.

“Waverly! You have to help me!! I have twenty minutes to finish this lab report and it’s due like, next period.” The smaller girl scoffs before reluctantly bringing her pencil out. At this point, she knew better than to scold her friend for not procrastinating because it never seemed to stop her anyways.

“Okay, what do you have left to finish?”

“Jeremy helped me get my data table, graph, research question, and hypothesis. I just need to finish my conclusion.” Reaching over, Waverly scans the paper double checking for any mistakes before continuing.

“Everything looks good so far _except_ you forgot to give your data points error bars.”

“Oh shoot! You’re right.” Quickly, her friend snatches the paper back and starts ruffling through her bag for a ruler. The small brunette waits patiently beside her as she draws on her graph, but it seems her girlfriend had other ideas…

Nicole had fallen into conversation with Dolls and Mercedes leaving Waverly and Jeremy frantically helping Chrissy with her homework. And all would’ve been well if the redhead hadn’t decided to draw small circles _just_ above the young Earp’s knee. She feels the smaller girl tense next to her but says nothing as she waits for the blonde to finish. Nicole bites back a shit eating grin before deciding to test the waters further. As Mercedes took over the conversation, the older girl suddenly changed pace and dragged her finger slowly up Waverly’s thigh and immediately she heard a sharp intake of air followed by a stern look she shot back at the redhead. Smirking, Nicole leans ever so slightly towards Waverly’s ear and drops her voice to a whisper.

“What’s the matter darlin’? Is something distracting you?” The tip of her nose pushes her girlfriend’s ear slightly making her immediately double over and choke on her own breath. Honestly, it was sometimes too easy to tease her girlfriend.

Chrissy stands up and pats her on the back, everyone at the table looking over to the younger girl with concern.

“You okay there Earp?” Dolls calls over the redhead’s shoulder, eyebrows drawn together. Waverly nods but her eyes narrow at her girlfriend, watching her with a slant on her lips. 

“This wasn’t part of the plan.” She says to the taller girl who just raised an eyebrow at the comment. Everyone else however just looked at them in confusion.

“You know me...I like surprises.” Waverly notes the way Nicole's eyes darken just slightly causing her to swallow subtly.

“Maybe you should stop talking.”

“Maybe you should make me.” As soon as the words fly out of the taller girl’s mouth, Waverly cups her jaw, connecting their mouths in a searing kiss. The redhead smiles, angling her head just slightly as she traces her tongue on the edges lips silently asking when the younger girl gratefully opens her mouth pawing at her girlfriend’s jacket lapels. Nothing but a dead silence surrounds them as their friends watch the scene with their jaws dropped.

“I FUCKIN KNEW IT!!” Dolls yells excitedly slamming his hand on the table causing them to jump away from each other nearly forgetting the surroundings they were in. The man simply points to Chrissy with a smug look on his face.

“You owe me ten bucks.” He says with a grin as the blonde’s face morphs from shocked to defensive.

“Hey! That wasn’t a real bet! And it’s not like it was fair anyways! You said that you already knew Nicole liked her whereas I just found out like, a few days ago at the party _after_ we made the bet.”

“Yeah, well I just assumed it was one sided.”

“Apparently not!”

“GUYS!” Nicole shouts, making them jerk their heads towards her.

“What?!” Everyone at them yelled back. In the midst of all the shouting the redhead managed to somehow keep her composure as if she wasn’t just making out with her girlfriend two seconds ago. Waverly on the other hand was beyond embarrassed by the aftermath and was burying her head into Nicole’s shoulder; the tips of her ears turning slightly red. The older girl nudges her gently trying to bring her eyes up.

“It’s okay, baby. They’re listening now. Go ahead and say what you want to say.” She says softly hoping to soothe the small brunette who was tensed up by the sudden outburst of noise...and also trying to gather her thoughts after their second mind blowing kiss. She swears her lips were still tingling; a feeling she wasn’t used to even after dating Champ for years.

“I-I’m dating Nicole. Uhm, she’s my girlfriend.” The words felt freeing as if she had finally come to face a part of herself that she tried to push down for so long. And once she heard them, it immediately felt so right. Mercedes was the first to break the silence.

“So like, are you a lesbian?” Chrissy and Jeremy look to her expectantly. They were her best friends for the longest time after all. Waverly takes in a breath before shaking her head.

“Uh no. I mean, I don’t really want to put labels on it. I guess I would say that I’m bi? But it doesn’t really matter to me really. All that matters is that I like Nicole and she just happened to be a girl.” Dolls nods in approval, a smile still adorning his face. He nudges the redhead with a smirk.

“Looks like you’ve hit the jackpot Haught. Don’t let it get to you.” The older girl smacks his arm playfully mirroring a similarly giddy smile. The brunette was quickly jerked out of her thoughts when she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. 

“I’m really happy for you. It’s about time you got someone you deserve.” Chrissy says, pride sweeping her face as she looks into the eyes of her best friend. Smiling, Waverly pulls her into a hug with Jeremy following close behind. 

“Uh, ditto.” He adds in awkwardly joining the group hug. “And maybe someone who won’t interrupt credentials for once. Or Winter con or club meetings or-”

“I get it Jeremy.” The young Earp cuts in with a laugh as she pulls back to look at her friends. Nicole then smacks Dolls on the arm all the sudden causing the man to yelp.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?!” She shoots him a pointed look before turning to Chrissy.

“You two were taking _bets_ on us?” The two of them awkwardly rub the backs of their necks chuckling awkwardly. Before they could open their mouths to say something, someone taps the young Earp on the shoulder causing her to whip around and smile when she sees who it was.

“Rosie!” She squeals, jumping up from her seat to go around the table and hug the girl. Nicole watches them with an uneasiness forming her chest but says nothing as she tries to push down all her insecurities. Even if Rosita was holding her a bit too long for her liking…

“I just wanted to say that I saw you and Nicole together and...I’m really happy for you two. You guys are really great for each other.” The redhead stops for a second before turning around to quirk her head in their direction; eyebrows furrowed as the insecurity in her chest instantly dissipates. Waverly smiles happily as a small blush grows on her cheeks.

“Thanks Rosita...I would’ve said something to you in person but-”

“Don’t be sorry.” She cuts in smiling at her cheer teammate proudly. “Us bi girls gotta stick together amiright? Plus! Now we can go on double dates!” They giggle for a second, happy to have everything out in the open between them. Someone from the cheer squad calls out to Rosita all the sudden pulling them away from one another. She gives Waverly an apologetic look.

“I’ve gotta go but I promise I’ll text you later okay? I want to know all the details!” The smaller girl lets out a laugh before watching her cheer partner turn back around towards the rest of the gang.

For the remainder of lunch, everyone just spent their time joking around poking fun at each other. Even Jeremy was starting to grow more comfortable around Doll’s presence, whom he had clearly despised at the beginning.

As Waverly looked at Nicole, their eyes catching for just a second, she knew there was nowhere else she’d rather be than in this moment with everybody.

* * *

Following lunch was eighth period for Jeremy, which meant study hall. A class he had a love hate relationship with. Pulling out his chair, he sighs seeing that Xavier Dolls was already plopped right beside him. Pulling out his laptop, he began to pull open all his research tabs trying to finish his Model UN resolution before Xavier could give him any more crap. As he scans through countless BBC articles when suddenly a pencil clatters in front of him. Looking up from his screen, a friendly head pokes up from the desk in front of him peering apologetically at the man behind him.

“Oh, uh hi! Sorry to bother you, but do you mind if you pass me that pencil underneath your foot? I can’t really reach from this position…” Jeremy’s eyes go as wide as saucers as he fumbles around for words. After crushing on this man in front of him for so long, Jeremy finally got the chance to talk to him. Sure Robin Jett was the school’s best soccer player and most definitely straight but the younger boy couldn’t help but crush on him just a little.

“I-uhm sure, sure. Yeah, no probs.” He covers awkwardly bending down to pick up the pencil handing it to the boy in front of him before clumsily dropping it again just as he felt the tips of Robin’s fingertips brush against his hand. Stuttering, he curses under his breath in embarrassment, reaching to grab it again. _Get it together Jeremy._ He internally scolds himself as he properly hands the pencil over. The taller man gives him a cheeky grin that Jeremy could practically melt at all over again.

“Thanks!” he exclaims before turning back in his seat. Before Jeremy could gather his thoughts however, Dolls proceeds to crumple a wad of paper and chuck it at the back of the taller boy’s head. Anger rising in him, Jeremy was about to stand up and yell at Xavier when suddenly he stopped, hearing the bright laugh that followed. Robin uncrumpled the paper revealing a crude semicircle and circle mushed on top of each other resembling somewhat of a turtle. Robin jots something back down on the sheet tossing it back to Dolls who catches it mid air. They share a small laugh before their teacher, Mr. Burns, shushes them giving the back row a stern look before proceeding back to his book. 

The two boys stifle their laughter as they continue to pass notes when suddenly Wynonna busts in breaking the quiet atmosphere. Everyone jumps at the sound of the door swinging open but then just rolled their eyes after seeing who it was and resumed their work. Wynonna promptly dropped off her stuff to the right of Jeremy, clapping him on the back with a grin.

“Sup’ nerd.” She said, tossing her stuff on the ground making a large thud. Mr. Burns, who was well aware of Wynonna’s attitude by now, shushed her; not even bothering to look up from his book. Jeremy turns back to the tall brunette with a quizzical look on his face.

“What are you doing here? This isn’t your study hall class.” Rolling her eyes, she flips open her journal and plops it on his desk revealing the only half finished notes on the page.

“Burns said I gotta get this crap done by the end of today so I gotta borrow his textbooks. And yeah, I’m not some walking Ted Talk, but I’m sure as hell not gonna stick around longer than I need to.” He nods in understanding feeling Xavier’s eyes burning a hole into his back watching the interaction. Nervously, he leans forward away from the listening range of the man next to him.

“Hey, so what’s it with you and Xavier anyway? I thought you said you squeezed his lemons?” She smacks him on the arm causing him to yelp, earning another shush from the teacher. 

“I _said_ we don’t talk about it.”

“Yeah but what are you gonna do? Skip every lunch for the rest of the school year? I mean, as long as long Wayhaught’s goin’ strong, I don’t see him leaving anytime soon…” The older Earp tilts her head with a furrow of her eyebrows. 

“Wayhaught?”

“Yeah, Waverly and Nicole? Wayhaught? Uhm, they just told us like thirty minutes ago...you’re...okay with that right?” She scoffs shoving a hand into his face.

“Yeah, of course I am dingus. I’ve known they were a thing since like, forever. But Wayhaught? Really?”

“What? They’re like the ultimate power couple. Well, next to Blaine and Kurt. You really can’t beat Glee.” She scoffs, flipping open her book starting to scribble the remainder of her notes.

“If I didn’t already know you were gay I would probably know right now.” He chuckles and turns back to his computer just before Wynonna catches his elbow stopping him. “And I promise I’ll go back to lunch soon. I just gotta figure shit out Chetri.” Nodding in understanding he just goes along with it; Wynonna wasn’t really a force to be reckoned with.

* * *

Waverly laughs, playfully smacking her girlfriend’s arm as she continued to read her notes out, completely twisting the accent.

“ _David wears this mask whereas Jacques longs to be free stating that no one can stay in the Garden of Eden.”_ The small brunette grabs her notebook back, sticking her tongue out to the older girl.

“I don’t care what you think of my notes Nic. Now help me finish my paper because seriously. This thing is due in like, a few days.” The redhead chuckles, linking their fingers together bringing the younger girl’s hand up to her lips, gently kissing her girlfriend’s knuckles.

“Alright baby, whatever you say.” She opens up Giovanni’s Room once more, setting it alongside Waverly’s notes. “So what do you need?” Letting out a huff, the young Earp groans pressing her palms into her face flopping down onto the desk with a thud. Since no one else was in the Fish Bowl that day, Waverly and Nicole spent the majority of study hall talking and enjoying each other’s company. But the stress of this paper was starting to press and the smaller girl still had no idea what to write.

“I just don’t know how I’m supposed to do this! Ms. Martin says I have to be more unconventional but I have no idea where to start.” The redhead purses her lips for a bit trying to formulate a strategy to get young Earp on the right track. She tutored many kids in AP Lit before, having fallen in love with the class but she was always careful in trying to help students translate their own critical thoughts as opposed to them using her own thinking.

“Well, let’s put it this way. What are some one word themes you can say for this book? You know, things like identity, growth, or power?” Waverly purses her lips deep in thought as she picks up the book and skims through it once more trying to find any sort of deep meaning in the words.

Finally she snaps her fingers and quickly grabs her notebook and pencil jotting down a couple ideas before they flit her mind. The older girl watches as she writes; smiling at the fact that she could practically see the gears tick in the brunette’s brilliant mind. Waverly finally finishes, with the word ‘SHAME’ written in bold letters underlining it.

“I think this whole time I was looking at it too literally. Giovanni says that David left him because he was afraid of this stink that they called love; stating that it wasn’t the room that David hated, but what staying in it _meant._ But David would much rather live a life with a wife than with Giovanni because he couldn’t stand the idea of feeling dirty. He couldn’t live with the thought of himself being gay.” Nicole smiles at her girlfriend, excitedly bouncing off the walls, tapping away at her screen.

They sit in silence for a bit when suddenly the smaller girl’s hands slow to a stop as tears well up in her eyes. Alarmed, Nicole takes note of this, gently reaching for her girlfriend’s hands and holding onto them tightly; her heart breaking as she feels silent tears drip onto her hands.

“Hey...baby what’s wrong?” Waverly looks up to her for a second trying to draw in controlled breaths just as the redhead stands up and gathers the smaller girl in her arms, simply holding her as she continues to let out shuddering breaths. As she turns to the screen her heart almost stops as she reads the words written.

_So alongside David, I wore a mask called shame, made out of lies. And the more lies I smeared onto it, the harder it was to breathe. All because I wanted nothing more than to run from this stink. We are told growing up that “different” meant imperfection. Imperfection meant ugly. But I want this to serve as a mirror for those like me who grew up without one. I want people of all identities and backgrounds to read this and realize that it’s okay to stand out. It’s okay to not know where you stand. Because far worse than being oppressed for your differences is knowing that you’ve spent your life pleasing people at the expense of your own happiness. Happiness we all deserve._

Waverly draws away, quickly pushing the tears out of her eyes as she tries to gather her words.

“Sorry...I don’t know what happened...I just started writing and writing word after word until I realized...just how long I’ve been waiting for this moment…” She smiles as Nicole cups her jaw, swiping the edges of her cheek lovingly. “After all these years, I-I tried to push this part of me down because I thought this was the part of me that made me ugly inside. And I liked boys so I figured these feelings would go away if I stuffed them down long enough...but they didn’t. And instead you came along and I felt them come back, but it scared me…” The redhead smiles at that pulling the girl closer to her.

“I scare you?” Waverly laughs burying her face into Nicole’s shirt breathing in the fresh smell of vanilla dipped donuts that she loved so much.

“Yes, yes you do. Because I didn’t want to be friends...when I thought of what I wanted to do most in this world...it was you. God, that sounded so much more romantic in my head…” 

At that moment in time, it was as if the world had stopped spinning. And nothing felt more right than the pure joy and love she could feel coming from the redhead in front of her. Standing up, she loops her arms around Nicole’s neck as she buries her face into the crook of the taller girl’s neck and sighs in contentment. Because at that moment, deep in her heart, Waverly knew that this is exactly where she belonged. And it was at that moment the young Earp began to come to a realization.

_This is where all the doubters have been wrong. Because how in the world could it be so bad to want this kind of feeling with someone else? How could it possibly be so ugly to want to give something so beautiful to another person. Being queer doesn’t make me less. It gives me color._


	9. Unraveling Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's going to sound like another filler chapter but bare with me. Little hints of Nicole's past are nudged around and a developing relationship between Dolls and Jeremy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! As usual I am sending good thoughts to every one of you out there during this time and wishing all of you to remain healthy and safe along with your families. This chapter may feel like a filler at first but I realized as I started writing this that this arch might need to stretch into two chapters for the sake of not rushing things...I hope you don't mind. In the meantime, thank you to everyone who is continuing to read this piece ^*^ Quite frankly I didn't even expect this to hit more than a couple hundred hits but it is my biggest honor to be writing for you all. I hope you are all doing well and happy reading!

It had been about a week since the start of Wayhaught and Nicole was practically floating. After having two years of high school flings, she almost forgot how good it felt to hold someone in your arms. There was just something about the gesture that seemed so pure and delicate that almost made her heart jump in fear the second Waverly would shift in her arms; as if she could possibly crush the angel in her arms. But even in the midst of the rainbow clouds that fogged her brain, she had long ago learned to always remember that she needed to be prepared for evacuation; for her to be ready to accept that things could change at any moment. That when you feel that you are at the top, it is only a matter of time before you go crashing down.

But right now, the older girl shook her head, pushing those doubts to the deep recess of her mind. Waverly was here right now in her arms and god dammit; she swore she could stay like that all day. Unfortunately, it was getting late and the young Earp knew as much as she wanted to stay and cuddle with her (adorable) girlfriend, she had a 6:00 shift at Shorty’s in a half hour and Gus needed her there. And technically the smaller girl would’ve left earlier but Nicole made a surprise visit to see her after her mock conference by helping the MUN committee clean up.

Sighing, the brunette finally turns to face the taller girl in the backseat of her Dodge, patting her knee apologetically before giving her girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek and untangling herself. To which the redhead whines at the loss of heat from the contact causing Waverly’s gentle laugh to fill the car.

“Sweetie...I have to go now...you know I do...Plus, we’ve been parked out here for about thirty minutes now and I’m sure at least Wynonna is going to have a bit too much to say about it.” After a moment passes, Nicole finally lets out a huff and gives a quick kiss to Waverly before flipping the lock and getting out so she could move to the front and promptly shuts the door.

“Okay cutie. Call you later after you get home and I finish my history report?” The young Earp smiles as her heart swells at the thought. Even though the redhead liked to put on a tough exterior, she knew that deep down her girlfriend was a softie. 

“Of course. Make sure to finish _everything_ though. Can’t have my girl slacking just because you miss me~” The taller girl groans at the memory pressing her palms into her face.

“That was _one_ time! And I got that Criminal Justice report finished eventually.” They share a laugh before the small brunette turns and pulls open the door to Shorty’s giving a final wave. 

“Bye baby! Talk to you tonight!” With that she enters through the double doors; her face still broken out into a smile as if her internal happiness was radiating all around her. God, this girl was going to be the death of her.

* * *

Spending his night at a bar wasn’t exactly Jeremy’s scene per say. Between the people, smell, and rowdy culture the smaller boy didn’t come by very often. On the rare occasion he did it was only because he and Waverly were hanging out after the Young Earp’s shift; and even then he always came with Chrissy. Now, not only was he lacking the presence of a particular blonde but also in the company of Xavier Dolls. His ‘boss’ who hated him.

“Honestly, I don’t even know why I agreed to this.” Jeremy says, letting out a sigh to which Dolls only crosses his arms throwing the younger boy a knowing look. They slide into a booth at Shorty’s falling into the dynamic atmosphere. Crowds hanging around the pool table, laughter echoing off the walls, and the clinking of glass as cups were being passed around. Technically minors weren’t allowed but since Jeremy’s been a family friend of Waverly since they were young, Gus lets him stay as long as he didn’t order alcohol. Which was fine for the two of them because neither of them had a strong liking for the taste anyways.

“Well, to put it simply, why not? It’s a fair trade and both of us are willing.” The smaller boy scoffs turning to look at the man in front of him incredulously.

“Why not ask Waverly? I mean, she’s closer to Wynonna than I am.” Jeremy states as he waves his hand at Waverly who was on her shift at the moment. The young Earp smiles brightly at her friend, making her way over to their table with a pen and pad of paper. 

“Hey Jer! What’s-oh.” Since the booths were tall enough to enclose someone’s seat, it wasn’t until she rounded the corner to find that the smaller boy hadn’t come alone; and among everyone, Xavier Dolls. “Dolls? Wow, that’s a first. Do you two always come here after Model UN?” Jeremy opens his mouth to protest right before the older boy cuts in.

“He’s falling behind on organizing Spring Con so we’ll be coming here a lot more often. Won’t we Jer?” The smaller boy arches his brow in protest before relenting seeing the deathly glare that Xavier was throwing at him. With a sigh Jeremy turns back to Waverly.

“I-guess so. You know me, really careless. Totally did not just spend this weekend getting yelled at by hotel managers.” He forces out with an awkward laugh trying to plaster on a smile. The brunette looks at between the two of them and waves his hand as if telling her that he’ll explain to her later. She simply nods and turns back to Dolls.

“Well I guess it’s good to see you guys getting along?” Her voice trails off in question wondering just what the hell they were up to. “Okay, sorry. Back on topic! What can I get you guys?” Xavier glanced at the smaller boy who was still avoiding his eyes. Letting out a huff he smiles at the young Earp making his order.

“I’ll have an ice tea and nachos. What about you Jer?” He fiddles with his fingers spacing out a bit before snapping his head up drawing him out of his thoughts.

“Oh! Um. I’ll have the same.” The older boy arches his brow in question.

“I ordered Nachos...you want to just share them?” Jeremy widens his eyes, shocked that the man would even offer something of the sort. Actually, he didn’t know that Xavier was even capable of _sharing_ ; much less with him. But now wasn’t the time to bring that up. He simply nodded his head as the taller man turned back to Waverly.

“Alright, so two ice teas and a plate of nachos.” The brunette jots this down before smiling at the two of them when she finished.

“Cool, I’ll have Wynonna bring them to you when they’re ready.” And with that she walked off leaving the two of them in an awkward silence when suddenly Dolls breaks out into a laugh nearly startling the boy in front of him.

“If you ever date Robin, please don’t do dinner dates cuz that would be the most awkward thing ever.” The younger boy blushes at the thought letting out a groan as he slumps into the table.

“I don’t even know why I let you drag me into this. I didn’t know we were going to do this _often._ ” Dolls shrugs indifferently resting his chin on his hands.

“You didn’t have to say yes you know. The idea just came up to me at MUN.”

“So let me get this straight.” He cringes at the irony of his own statement watching as Dolls smirks in front of him. “You’re exploiting my obvious crush on Robin, who is one of _your_ best friends, by offering to be my…'wing man’? And in exchange you want me to give you an excuse to hang around Wynonna who is one of _my_ best friends.”

“Yep. What do you say? We can rotate between Shorty’s and Angel’s Brew every other week after MUN so it’s fair.” The younger boy tilts his head squinting his eyes a bit.

“Angel’s Brew?”

“The coffee shop that he works at.” Jeremy nods slowly as he weighs the pros and cons. Quite frankly, Dolls was the last person he’d want to willingly hang out with and even then, he couldn’t figure out why the taller boy would even opt to spend more time with him than necessary. After all, he’s made it very clear that he hates him. Finally, Jeremy looks up at the man in front of him with an answer. 

“Okay, I’ll do it. But I can’t promise you anything with Wy. She’s...a bit of a wild card. And for all I know, probably sleeping around with that hot college guy that kinda looks like a cowboy.” Dolls furrows his eyebrows at the visual nodding his head slowly as he wraps his mind around it.

“Alright, noted. Anything else?” The younger boy fiddles around with his fingers for a bit before letting them come to a drop as he blows out a puff of air.

“Okay, last thing. Why are you being relatively nice to me? Even you must know that there are other ways you can get around to hanging with Wynonna that don’t require me in the picture. Don’t you hate me?” Dolls shrugs leaning back in his seat but says nothing for a bit.

“Truthfully?”

“Yeah.” Relenting the older man sighs crossing his arms as he tries to figure out how he wanted to phrase it.

“I don’t hate you. Really I don’t. It might look that way because I’m hard on you, but it’s only because I know you can be pushed. Don’t you want to take me out of my board position next year?” Jeremy’s eyes widen as fear envelopes him. He almost opens his mouth to deny it but the older boy simply sticks out his hand and stops him. “It’s okay that you do. I’m not the most likable person in a room. But if you are going to run up against me next year I want to leave the club in good hands.” Jeremy nods looking down at the table trying to hide his grin; not going unnoticed by Dolls.

“Don’t let it get to you.” He says suppressing a grin of his own

* * *

For the rest of the night, Waverly continues to watch the crowds roll in; the tabletops bustling with people. It’s true that she didn’t have a taste for alcohol since her father was always drunk, but being at Shorty’s wasn’t about the stuff that they served, but the feeling of home she had every time she walked through those saloon doors. After a while, she began to notice the habits of the regulars: The York brothers with their beer in hand as they lounge around the pool table, Kate sitting at the back table telling her friends about star signs, and now even Jeremy made a surprise appearance...with _Dolls._

Standing behind the bar, her eyes squint as she tries to figure them out. Even if she was getting more... _accustomed_ to the idea of having Xavier around them more, there were moments where she still couldn’t figure out just what the heck was going on inside his head. Just two hours ago the man was giving strikes to the kids who had their resolutions turned in late and now, he’s at Shorty’s with Jeremy _laughing_? 

She shakes her head and sighs just as someone from behind her suddenly claps her on the shoulder causing her to yelp and spin around almost knocking the trays out of Wynonna’s hands. The older girl cranes her neck back with wide eyes as she puts her hands up in surrender. 

“Whoa, Waverly. It’s just me. I’ve got the Nachos and ice teas.” Waverly lets out a breath before playfully glaring at her sister and slapping her arm.

“You’ve gotta warn me next time! I almost elbowed you in the face.” The older Earp smirks, leaning back a bit with a glint in her eyes.

“Sorry, you were just getting all spacey pants on me...probably cuz you were thinking about getting into Haught’s pants.” The small brunette rolls her eyes at the comment flapping her arms around wildly as if she were signaling for a plane to land.

“We just started dating Wynonna! That isn’t even the fifth thing I have in my mind.” Wynonna arches a brow with a slant of her lips, completely not buying it for a second.

“Totally. Like I didn’t catch you guys doing it like rabbits a week ago. Haught Stuff looks at you like a fricken fudge sundae.” Something in the young Earp comes to a halt at the words. _Was it true? Did they already need to do it so quickly? Nicole is a senior after all so she’s probably done it all by now...is this what she wants? How does it even work with two women??_ Wynonna on the other hand completely missed the panic strewn all over the young Earp’s face as she stared at the sight of Dolls with _Jeremy_ of all people. 

“Hey,” She whisper-yells in alarm, promptly snapping Waverly out of her qualms. “Why the heck is Dolls here?! With freaking Chetri?!” The tall brunette shoots an accusatory look at the younger girl to which Waverly crosses her arms defensively.

“Don’t look at me! It wasn’t _my_ idea. I didn’t even know Jeremy could stand being six feet away from him but now they’re all best buds I guess. And hey! You never told me, what is the deal with you and Dolls? Were you guys even together?” Wynonna scoffs as she walks away with the trays in hand waving her arm dismissively.

“It’s just sex Waverly, god.”

“Uhm, that’s not a no!”

* * *

**Saturday afternoon…**

“Oh come on! It can’t be _that_ bad.”

“No, trust me Nicole. It’s worse. WAY worse.”

“I bet it’s cute…” Nicole looks at her endearingly from across the table, smiling as the tips of Waverly’s ears tinge with a bit of pink as she hides her face in her hands. Her heart swells at the sight, filled with so much happiness at the moment that her face felt like it was starting to hurt from smiling so much. But how could she not! _Waverly Earp_ was her girlfriend and as she watches the smaller one die in embarrassment, she can’t help but wonder how she ever got so lucky. “Come on~” The redhead probes once more, drawing her hands up to cup younger Earp’s face bringing her eyes to meet hers. She strokes her jawline lovingly; flashing the very dimples she knew made Waverly cave _juuust_ a bit. “When did you know you liked me? Like, _liked_ me, liked me.” The small brunette puffs out her cheeks letting out a breath before taking Nicole’s hands and entertaining them with hers. She plays with the older girl’s fingertips for a bit not knowing how to respond.

“It was actually when we were last here about a month ago...I mean, I think I _felt_ it even before then but, I didn’t want to think about it yet...This is kind of new for me you know?” They share a small laugh mesmerized in each other’s eyes. “We were here in Angel’s Brew and you were being _so_ distracting. Like, I had been reading the same paragraph for the last half hour but no matter how many words I read past that, _you_ would keep tracing small circles on my hands!” Nicole tilted her head with a smirk on her lips as she mimicked the movement in real time.

“But you never stopped me~” She replied in a sing-song manner, earning a playful glare from the smaller girl.

“I _couldn’t_ stop you because whenever you did that I would get so lost in my head trying to figure you out that nothing made sense anymore.” Waverly smiled at that, continuing to stare at their hands. Even before they started dating, they had already held hands before but this time was...different. As if they were more sure of what they wanted and confident. Looking at their fingers connected to one another nothing had ever felt better. The redhead watched her girlfriend once again fall deep into thought, making her smile all over again.

Coming up with an idea the taller girl quickly scans the area to make sure no one around them is paying attention. Thankful that they had a more secluded seat in the back, she gently brought her palm up to the young Earp’s jaw and closed the distance between them. Nicole’s thumb gently stroked the edges of the Waverly’s earlobe causing a sharp breath to be sucked in from the smaller girl. Pulling back, the redhead quirks her lips with a raise of her eyebrows, satisfied by the dazed look on the younger girl’s face.

“Uh...wow…” Waverly managed to get out as her cheeks dust with a bit of pink, her tongue peeking out staring at the taller girl’s lips wanting to feel her all over again.

“Getting lost in your head again?” Nicole asks with a knowing smirk, almost daring the young Earp to respond. Waverly scoffs before reaching over to grasp the taller girl’s jacket lapels and pressing their lips together in a haze of _want_ leaving Nicole’s mind staggering for more. The smaller girl smirks practically sensing the redhead’s wandering hands beneath the table. Deciding to have a little fun she tugs on Nicole’s bottom lip just a bit, before pulling away with a satisfied smile.

“ _That’s_ what’s been going on in my head.” Waverly lets out a cheeky smile promptly followed by the taller girl squishing her cheeks affectionately.

“Well you always seem to have a lot going on in that brilliant brain of yours.” Blushing, the smaller girl looks down at the table and smiles. For the first time in a long time, someone wasn’t telling her to turn her brain off. Whether it was Champ, Willa, or even Gus at some points, everyone told her that she spent too much time in her head. But looking straight into Nicole’s eyes, all she could see was wonder. And god damn it, if it wasn’t for the fact that coffee shops weren’t a place to be making out she would kiss Nicole all over again. Instead, she decides to spend more time getting to know her beautiful girlfriend; who at the moment, was tossing her the most dopey grin.

The sound of footsteps behind them jerks the redhead back into her seat breaking their private little bubble. Nicole doesn’t think much of it until she looks up at her girlfriend sitting across from her with the look of discomfort and fear all mixed into one. Whipping around, the taller girl’s heart nearly stops seeing Shae stand there for a few seconds after she turned the corner looking for a place to sit. The tall brunette’s eyes darted to Waverly who was pulling at the edge of her seat averting her gaze and then to Nicole who was rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. Without a word, Shae simply gives a nod, turns on her heel, and walks out the door promptly closing the door shut behind her.

Finally the redhead lets out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding in. Truth be told, she kind of missed talking to Shae as a friend. Even if the older girl knew that things couldn’t go back to the way they used to be, she still wanted the brunette to be a part of her life. They went through so much together after all…

The young Earp watches the vacant look in Nicole’s face wash over her and as much as she wanted to dislike Shae for all the horrible things she said to her, she knew that the tall brunette was someone that was really important to her girlfriend. And right now Waverly knew she had to be there for Nicole.

Placing a soft hand on the taller girl’s arm, Nicole was snapped out of her thoughts to be met with the younger girl’s sympathetic yet familiar warm smile.

“Hey,” the small brunette prompts, rubbing soothing circles around her girlfriend’s hand with her thumb. “How are you feeling?” The redhead’s heart swells at the question practically wiping away all the anxiety that was rising in her chest. Waverly didn’t need to ask if she was okay, she just wanted to be there for her and that meant everything to the older girl.

“I’m fine. Just wish it didn’t have to be this way you know? She’s been there for me even when I couldn’t be there for myself...it’s weird not having her around. I guess I can’t really blame her either though. I probably would do the same thing if it was the other way around…” She winces at the thought trying to push away all the memories that came flooding back to her. Nicole didn’t need to think about them any more. She was with Waverly now. That’s all that mattered. 

The young Earp nods in understanding even as questions fill her head wondering just what Nicole's past looked like. She knew that it was by no means pretty considering that she wasn’t speaking to her parents, but the smaller girl understood that it wasn’t in her place to pry. The redhead would tell her on her own time if she wanted Waverly to know. 

Finally, the taller girl stood up to stuff everything in their bags, sticking her hand out to intertwine it with Waverly’s.

“Do you want to come home for dinner? My grandparents are out tonight but I’d love to cook for you...even if I’m not that good.” The smaller girl laughs gently before sliding her hand into her girlfriend’s.

“I would love nothing more.”

* * *

Nicole wasn’t much of a cook but Waverly didn’t mind. It was kind of cute how hard the redhead clearly tried to come up with something fancy. Luckily, the young Earp managed to stop her from buying out the whole store while they were browsing for items.

In the meantime, the taller girl spent the time learning all the little things about her girlfriend. How she was vegan since freshman year, loved oat milk but hated soymilk, but also that she was one heck of a planner. Usually Nicole was in charge of the weekly grocery shopping so she would opt for just a simple checklist of necessities and buy whatever else that piqued her interest in the moment. But grocery shopping with Waverly was like they were on a mission. Pulling out their phones they searched for recipes when they finally landed on a couple agreed upon vegan dishes. The small brunette would then copy the ingredients quickly onto her phone and off they went. 

As they pushed the cart through the isles it never failed to fascinate (and amuse) the older girl just how meticulous and efficient Waverly was when she shopped. It was as if she had a layout of the entire store mapped out in her brain and the order of what items they should pick depending on the aisle placement. Every vegetable was properly assessed; from the sound, to the marks, and sometimes even the smell. And even if it was taking fifteen minutes longer than the taller girl would’ve ever spent, Nicole didn’t mind. She was happy to push the cart and simply observe the smaller girl flit from shelf to shelf as they walked through the store. Usually any sort of shopping seemed like a mundane chore at best but as she walked alongside Waverly she barely even noticed time passing as they got lost in conversation full of flitting laughs and light blushes. 

By the time they got back, the redhead pushed the key in and opened the door; only met with a complete silence. She was used to her grandparents being gone since they were often on business trips for at least days at a time but now that Waverly was with her she wished she could’ve brought them to meet her...they would’ve loved to meet her more than Nicole’s parents.

Deciding to let the memory slide, the taller girl placed a quick kiss on the young Earp’s forehead as they dropped the bags of groceries on the floor. They stood by the kitchen entrance with Waverly’s hands around her neck and Nicole’s around her waist beyond lost in the moment. Two years ago, the anxiety within herself would’ve made her too scared to enjoy the moment but all she found when she looked into Waverly’s eyes was a sense of home she didn’t know she was missing for a very long time.

“Hi.” The young Earp said softly, burying her face into the crook of the taller girl’s neck. The redhead laughed pulling her closer allowing herself to enjoy their embrace for a few seconds longer. Even if she knew they had eggs and oat milk to put in the fridge but she could wait a bit. Placing another kiss on the small brunette’s forehead she reluctantly pulls away to look into her girlfriend’s eyes.

“Come on. Let’s make dinner.”

* * *

About an hour later, Nicole finally shuffled into the kitchen from the backyard with a few skewers of grilled zucchini, tomatoes, and yellow bell peppers. All seasoned with just a touch of salt and pepper with just a hint of char marks from the grill she set them on. The aroma from the kitchen wafted through the air rich in the fresh smell of yeast and oregano as Waverly pulled out the olive flatbread and finished plating their homemade hummus. As the older girl rounded the corner she slyly attempted to reach for an olive on her plate when the smaller girl swatted her hand away.

“Hey!” the redhead pouted pulling her hand back but Waverly only threw her a look causing Nicole to raise her hands in defeat.

“No picking until we get everything on the table. I want the plating to be perfect.” She says; her demeanor melts a bit however as the taller girl continues to pout a bit. The young Earp smiles a bit before rolling her eyes and promptly takes a stray olive from the jar, motioning for the redhead to open her mouth. The older girl gladly does so as Waverly pops the olive in and watches her savor the tangy, salty taste. Nicole gives her a dopey grin to which the younger girl simply smirks at before taking the tray of vegetables from Nicole’s hand and begins pushing the grilled tomatoes off the skewer. 

The taller girl watches as the small brunette’s delicate hands work their magic placing every part of their meal in a dedicated spot. Finally giving in, the redhead walks over to her girlfriend resting her chin on Waverly’s shoulder as she wraps her arms around the younger girl’s waist, sighing at the feeling.

“This looks amazing, baby. How did you even learn to cook like this?” The smaller girl chuckles as she finally places the last cut of flatbread on their plates.

“Gus had me help in the kitchen a lot. She would’ve got Wynonna to do it too except she tended to just chop away at everything...including her fingers.” Waverly chuckles at the memory knowing that the older Earp probably did it on purpose in retrospect so she could get out of cooking. “That used to drive Gus nuts and she would tell Wynonna that she would need to cook for herself eventually but Wy would always say she could live off of Cup Ramen and powdered donuts. Quite honestly, I believe it.” 

They share a laugh as the two of them bring their plates to the dining table and begin to set up napkins and utensils. Nicole rounds the corner with drinks in hand and sets a glass of water down for her girlfriend. But just as she was about to pull away, Waverly catches her arm and catches her lips into a searing kiss. The taller girl smiles endearingly as she happily places a delicate hand on the small of Waverly’s back reciprocating the motion. The young Earp’s eyes flit shut as the older girl then moves from her lips to place a soft kiss on the underside of her jaw nipping just slightly. Waverly lets out a sigh at the sensation causing her hands on the back of Nicole’s head to tighten slightly. The redhead moans at the sensation dipping her head down so she could take a second to breathe. In this moment however Waverly took the time to slow her pulsing heartbeat as thousands of questions arose in her head once more, flitting back to her earlier conversation with Wynonna. 

_What am I going to do when Nicole wants to have sex? It’s got to be different than it was with Champ right? Oh, god. I don’t know how to do any of this!_ By the time Nicole looks back into the younger girl’s eyes, the previous lust has long dissipated and now filled with apprehension and worry. Concerned, the older girl pulls away slightly cradling the small brunette’s face in her hands before gently brushing her thumbs on the underline of the young Earp’s jaw.

“Hey,” the redhead said softly, bringing the smaller girl’s eyes up to her. As Nicole looked into her eyes some part of her wanted to sweep this girl into her arms and take away all the tension. “What’s wrong?” Waverly doesn’t say anything for a few beats before finally letting out a few breaths trying to gather the words. The older girl waits patiently as she attempts to soothe the uneasiness in her girlfriend’s eyes. 

“I-Nicole, I’m not ready to have sex.” As soon as the words tumble out of the small brunette’s mouth Nicole pulls back, eyes as wide as saucers.

“Wait, what?” The redhead cringes at her misleading tone of voice as Waverly shifts uncomfortably in her seat. Trying to redeem herself, she instead moves to slide her fingertips into Waverly’s hand trying to convey as much comfort in her actions as possible. When the young Earp meets her girlfriend’s gaze she was surprised to not even see a hint of annoyance or frustration in her eyes. “What I meant was,” the older girl purses her lips to search for the right words. “Where on Earth did you get that idea?” Waverly fiddles with their fingers for a bit unsure of how to answer. 

“It’s just, you’re a Senior, right? And I was just thinking about all these things you’d want to do because you’re older and I know I shouldn’t be so freaked out since Champ and I did things too but...this is so new for me and I just don’t know what I’m doing…” Finally the gears click in Nicole’s head as the words register. Her heart swarming with so many emotions at once. First sympathetic to the sensation of the raw unfamiliarity that the smaller girl was feeling and then disgusted at herself at the thought that her girlfriend thought she was pressuring her to do something she wasn’t ready for. 

“Hey, baby can you look up at me for a second?” Their eyes met and Waverly could see nothing but pure adoration and remorse in the taller girl’s eyes. “I’m sorry I made you think that way. I just want you to know that you can take all the time you need and that this relationship goes at your pace, okay? I don’t want anything more than to share this walk with you.” The small brunette slumps her shoulders in relief before pulling the redhead into a tight hug. Nicole protectively wraps her arms around her girlfriend; almost as if she was afraid the younger girl would fade from her embrace any second from now. “I’ve been in places I would never wish for you to be in. So trust me, I want to do things right by you.”

With that Waverly pulls away with her eyebrows furrowed tilting her head at the comment. Nicole simply nods as if to confirm her suspicions. Just as Waverly opened her mouth to say something, she closed it not wanting to pry on something that might be too personal for the older girl to share just yet. But the redhead simply squeezed her hand in reassurance as if to say that she was okay with telling her story.

“It’s okay to ask. It happened a couple years ago by now and I’ve been better, I promise.” The younger girl simply nods as they take their seats ready to eat as Nicole searches her head for the right words. “Where do you want me to start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S: Before you guys start jumping the gun, trust me, I'm taking an unconventional approach to Nicole's past so it might sound different, contrary to the tone of the dialogue.


	10. Nicole's Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a glimpse into just what makes Nicole Haught...well, Nicole Haught^^; This is over 10,000 words chalk-full of backstory so please bare with me! It took quite a bit of time to write but I hope it ended up okay...  
> WARNING:  
> This chapter contains emotional abuse, somewhat sexual abuse, and a lot of angst. This is by no means a happy chapter and I'm sorry if this gets too intense for you to read it. If you would like to have a quick summary, let me know in the comments below in case this is a bit too triggering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! As usual, I hope everyone's been doing well during this time and I absolutely thank each and every one of you for being so patient with me for this chapter release. This is the longest chapter I have ever written. Literally 9,969 words to be exact and I wanted to make sure I wrote this just right. I know I usually don't miss an update and I really am sorry for my irresponsibility. By the time I had a start on this chapter though, I ended up scrapping the entire piece I had going for me and re-wrote the entire thing. Not to get into a lot of detail but this specific chapter holds a lot of meaning to me so I wanted to make sure I got it just right. I hope you guys enjoy this update and if not, I'm really sorry this took such a dark turn but I really do think it's an important piece that ties the past and present together. Thank you for all of you who support my writing and happy reading!

Dribbling the ball from one hand to the other, Nicole takes her aim before planting her feet firmly on the floor, letting her arms swing through and push the object through the air. She watches it soar as it falls right into the hoop and through the net. Picking up the ball, the redhead then takes the ball and jogs with it to the next hoop, a bit farther than the last and shoots again. The familiar, clean  _ swoosh  _ rings throughout the empty court over and over again as she shoots one after another after another. Usually Calgary Athletic Center wasn’t open this late at night but Shae’s dad was a major donor to the building so she was allowed to stay as late as she wanted as long as she went with Shae. But tonight, she needed to clear her head and the brunette was too tired to stay with the taller girl until 10 p.m so she just handed her the key card and told her not to bust anything. 

By the time she finished her last shot, it was well past eleven. Swiping the ball from the floor, Nicole headed over to the edge of the gym where her duffel bag and towel awaited her. As she popped open her water bottle and stared off into the court she sighed in contentment, finally ready to go home. By the end of this summer she would be starting freshman year and no one was more ready to leave middle school than her. True, Purgatory High didn’t seem to be the epitome of spectacular but she would’ve done anything at that point to get out of the hell hole also known as eighth grade. 

Her last year in middle school was probably, by far the worst but at the same time...freeing. It was bad enough when people would whisper words behind her back; things like  _ gay, dyke,  _ and  _ hell.  _ When she finally decided to come out, well...there wasn’t anything left to use as black mail and they couldn’t say anything that everyone didn’t already know. But afterwards, it was just  _ lonely.  _ There were a few people who liked her well enough but no one she could really turn to. And since she was the only person out in the whole school...well she became  _ that  _ gay kid. The one who punched Edward Martinez in the face when he kept harassing her to date him. The one who played basketball with the guys at lunch (who only grudgingly allowed it because she could whoop their asses). And then the one who unapologetically refused to change for the sake of fitting in. But high school was going to be different. She was finally going to make the Junior Varsity basketball team, have a clean slate, maybe take a few accelerated classes-

Suddenly, she hears the gym door open beside her. Jerking the redhead out of her thoughts she scrambles to her feet, hands clenched into fists ready to fight. But as the door opens further, only a young girl emerges from the scene. The girl’s hair is neatly tied in a fishtail braid as her tanned skin seems to glow in the light of the gymnasium. Startled, both of them do a double take as they observe one another. Nicole finally drops the ball in her hand and kicks it to the side, her eyes narrowing a bit as she stares at the girl in front of her.

“Place should’ve been closed about an hour ago...what are you still doing here?”

“I could say the same about you.” The brunette tries to hold a similar cold stare before her facade breaks and her face splits into a smile. “Relax, I won’t tell anyone. I’m Gretta. My dad is the basketball coach of Calgary High. They let him use the facilities here if he ever wants to run practices in this gym. Lucky for me I’m his star player so…” She unzips her jacket revealing a blue lanyard that holds a white and gold key card to the building. The redhead grins finally relaxing her shoulders a bit.  _ What are the odds... _ she muses to herself. Gretta drops her bag to the floor motioning her to sit. Nicole simply shrugs and sits beside her against the wall in a similar fashion. It wasn’t like her parents would care that she would be home late anyways. In fact, she was pretty sure they weren’t even home. She flashes a quick text to Shae asking if she could come pick her up now that she was finished, to which she replied with a thumbs up and a be there in 20. At this point, Shae’s dad took better care of her than her actual dad. After a long minute, they sit in a comfortable silence before the redhead decides to speak.

“I’m Nicole. I have a friend whose dad helped fund like 40% of the project for this building so she lets me use the key card from time to time. I’m starting high school in a few months so I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to clear my head.” Gretta chuckles a bit at that as she drops her hand inches away from the redhead’s making just the tips of their fingertips brush just slightly. Panicking, Nicole shifts her hand into her lap averting eye contact as she tries to calm the growing blush forming on her cheeks.  _ Get it together Nicole!  _ The smaller girl on the other hand remains unfazed as she shifts around to turn and face her. 

“I watched you practice earlier.” Gretta says with a grin, observing how the taller girl’s blush only seemed to deepen at the comment. “You weren’t half bad...wonder why it’s taken me this long to meet you.” The redhead throws her a smirk before standing up and offering her a hand.

“Come. Let me show you something.” The smaller girl smiles brightly sliding her hand into Nicole’s as their eyes lock for a few seconds. Hastily, Nicole pulls her hand back slowly. The tingles on her palm refused to forget the feeling though. In all her years in middle school most girls would stay away from her since they didn’t want her approaching them. The redhead never pushed boundaries others didn’t want her stepping and always kept her eyes on the floor when changing for gym class so she never held unnecessary contact with anyone longer than they permitted. Which is exactly why her eyes widened in shock when Gretta reached back out to take her hand; so gentle, yet bold.

“Okay.” The taller girl nods dumbly before shuffling up the bleachers and heading towards a locked up door. Reaching for her key card, Nicole places it on a black panel watching the light turn from red to green followed by a prompt click as the lock releases and they push right through the dark entryway. As the redhead fumbles for the switch, her thumb manages to flick it up; the bright LEDs reveal a perfectly polished full court. In the corner was a small weight gym accompanied with a few lockers. Each personalized with a name engraved in a gold plate. She turns back to Gretta with a sheepish grin rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.

“Uhm, it’s not like I  _ don’t  _ train in the public courts. But my friend’s dad insisted on giving me access to the private courts since he knows how I spend twenty hours a week here.” She flashes a nervous grin hoping it didn’t come off as too arrogant. The brunette returned her smile before promptly tossing her the ball she had in her hand.

“Alright Nicky...show me what you’ve got.” The taller girl grins taking the ball and running with it, the thud of the ball echoing throughout the empty court. Planting her foot, Nicole readies herself to make a jump-shot from the three point line right before, Gretta smacks the ball out of her hands with an astonishing amount of agility. The redhead’s eyes widen in disbelief as she watches the smaller girl bolt to the opposite end of the court. Shaking her head, she catches up in no time, pivoting on her back foot as she plays defense. But suddenly their eyes lock if not for a second and something shift’s in Nicole’s chest. Not quite uncomfortable...just present. Gretta catches onto this before biting her lip, throwing a wink. Suddenly, the taller girl’s mind short circuits causing a falter in her form for  _ just  _ a second. But that split second was enough time for the brunette to make a fake and take aim. And with that, as she thrusts her arms in one smooth motion, the redhead watches the ball sail right through the net falling to the floor with a smack. Nicole furrows her brow as she opens her mouth about to protest when Gretta stops her shaking her head with an eyebrow raised.

“It’s not my fault I can read your weaknesses…” The taller girl scoffs in disbelief, crossing her arms as she tries to keep her composure.

“Yeah? Well if it wasn’t for you being so cute…” she trails off, her eyes widen as panic spreads through her veins while she fumbles for a cover up. “Uh-I-I mean…I-” The red head buries her face into her palms when a burst of laughter rings throughout the court. Quirking her eyebrows a bit, she looks up only to find pure amusement and a hint of something she couldn’t quite place on the smaller girl’s face. 

“You know, for all that alpha vibe you give, you really don’t know how to talk to girls.” The redhead narrows her eyes in offense tilting her head to the side.

“Hey! It’s not like I have a whole  _ line  _ of people to practice on!” This time it was Gretta’s turn to do a double take. Pulling her head back for a second, she raises her eyebrows in disbelief. 

“What? How is that even possible?”

“What do you mean?” The brunette shakes her head with a smile as she rotates the ball around in her hands. 

“I dunno. I figured you’re the type to have girls fawn all over you.” Nicole’s eyes widen, taking a step back in shock. 

“First off, what gave you the idea that I’m even...like-”

“Gay as fuck?” The redhead blushes rubbing the back of her head awkwardly causing the smaller girl to chuckle at the adorableness of the sight. “The sport, your watch...the whole thing really.”

“What’s gay about my watch?”

“It’s a G-Shock.”

“So?” Gretta lets out a laugh incredulously. Sometimes the brunette forgets that not everyone grew up in a progressive bubble. She just assumed that the taller girl came from Calgary too.

“You’re not from these parts are you?” Nicole slowly shakes her head.

“I’m about an hour east from here. Ever heard of Purgatory?”

“Seriously? There’s a town like that?” The red head snorts and gives her a look.

“Oh yeah. It’s exactly as it sounds. Small town, quirky, and I’m pretty sure I was the only lesbian in my entire middle school.” Just then, a buzz sounds on her phone as a text from Shae comes in telling her to meet them by the entrance. Sighing, the taller girl stuffs her phone in her pocket and makes a motion to stand. “I’ve gotta go...my friend and her dad are picking me up. Will I...see you again?” She tries to push down her hope but fails in the process. Nicole felt a familiar flutter in her chest and it never meant anything good. Usually resulting in unrequited affections. But all of her insecurities melted away as Gretta smiled at her placing a gentle hand into hers.

“Of course. I’m here every Saturday.”

* * *

There’s a gentle knock on her door that Thursday morning but all Nicole wanted to do was curl up into a ball and lay in her bed. She hears her mom gently open the door as the hinges creak observing the unusual sight of her daughter still laying under the covers. The redhead was usually known to be up and running at six a.m every morning even while she was at basketball camp. She decides to place a soft hand on her shoulder gently calling out her name.

“Nicole? Sweetie, are you okay?” The young Haught finds it in herself to pull her heavy limbs off her mattress as she manages to give a slight nod and drag her way out of bed. Her mom notices, pursing her lips in concern. “Are you okay? You don’t have to go to camp today if you don’t feel well...I can tell Shae that you’re out sick and need to rest. Nicole shakes her head and continues stuffing her basketball equipment into her bag.

“It’s fine mom. Just spent too much time on Netflix yesterday night…” She lies right through her teeth and she knows her mom knows it too. But thankfully, her mom decided not to push it and made her way out the door. “She’ll be here in about fifteen minutes. If you don’t feel good at any point in practice today, tell your coach that you need to sit out. I don’t want you to get injured again because you were over compensating.” The redhead sighs before letting out an affirmative grunt as her mom turns and shuts the door. 

Step by step she gathers her things slowly but the pain in her chest just wouldn’t go away. Nicole rummages through her bag before her hands halt on a familiar royal blue jersey. Slowly, she pulls it out, finally feeling the sting behind her eyes before she drops the shirt to the floor and lets out a shaky breath. Silent tears roll down her face and she couldn’t help but feel so dumb.

_ You stupid, stupid, person. You let your guard down for  _ one  _ second and you actually hoped. You hoped, and let yourself dream, and got carried away. Of course it was too good to be true. What the hell would she possibly see in a dope like you? _

Clutching the jersey in her hands, it wrinkles as if she was trying to erase the name on the back of it just like she was trying to erase all the memories that came with it. But even then, the word ‘Perley’ screen printed in gold letters remained as bold as ever. And all Nicole wanted to do was forget and leave behind her memory as last night’s text echo’s in her mind.

_ I’m sorry. I really wish I could do the whole long distance thing but I can’t. And it hurts me to say it because I really fucking love you and I need you to know that but I think it’s for the best. I don’t want this to be the end though! I want us to keep talking. I love you and I really need you to know this, but I think we should wait since we’re both so far apart. I’m sorry. _

She felt so stupid. Stupid for thinking that life would give her a happy ending for once. Stupid for letting herself fall in that deep...but if she was being completely honest with herself? A part of herself was lost. Lost because the moment they kissed one month ago, nothing had ever felt more perfect. Like  _ that _ was what fairy tales were supposed to be like.  _ That  _ was what it felt like to hold someone close. But now she’s gone because Nicole wasn’t good enough. She wasn’t enough to convince her to stay, wasn’t enough for her to love and when Gretta could have anyone she wanted, how could Nicole possibly blame her for leaving? She was just a summer fling for her at best.

* * *

By the time their hour long lunch break rolled around, the redhead didn’t even try to stop Shae as she dragged her by the sleeve out the door. Since the beginning of practice, the brunette could feel the thick fog that blanketed Nicole as she mindlessly went from station to station drilling non-stop. Something she knew the redhead would do whenever she didn’t want to think about something.

Finally, Shae pushes open the door and leads her behind the building. This seems to snap the taller girl out of her haze if only for a second.

“Hey...where the heck are we-”

“Don’t talk. Just listen.” The redhead closes her mouth shut drifting back into her thoughts. Shae sighs, watching her friend fall back into a deep lull. After a few more seconds of walking they finally make it to the top of the hill behind the gym. The smaller girl notes the gasp that escapes from Nicole’s mouth as she looks at the view; the wonder and awe present on her face gives Shae hope that the redhead wasn’t too far gone. She just needed to help pull her out.

They settle down in the grass before Shae pulls out a half sandwich for the taller girl motioning for her to take it.

“Eat. You haven’t had breakfast and it’s not good to skip meals.” Nicole smiles gently at the offering before finally taking a bite.

“Thank you.” She says as the brunette simply huffs, taking a bite of her own sandwich as they sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

“I’m not saying that it’s going to be okay...I just want you to know I’m here.” Nicole looks up for a second, eyes already beginning to tear up. Shae doesn’t say anything. She simply nods her head in affirmation before slinging an arm around her shoulder waiting for the redhead to speak in her own time. Finally, the dam broke and Nicole hunched over and began to cry.

“I don’t even know what I did wrong.” she gasped trying to get words to form in her mouth. “And all I can do is be understanding like I know it’s for the best because I don’t have the right to be angry, hurt, or even confused…” She raised her voice as if trying to convince herself. “She shouldn’t have to  _ know  _ how this makes me feel! It’s not her  _ job  _ to care about me anymore!” At this point, tears have dripped all over Shae’s pant leg but the brunette couldn’t care less about that. Everything in her was practically shaking with rage as she held the redhead in her arms. Even if she didn’t  _ like  _ that Gretta and Nicole were together, far worse than the pain of seeing them together was having to watch helplessly as the girl in her arms sobbed to no end. And she would’ve done anything to wipe the pain away. Nicole sniffs, trying to calm herself, cursing under her breath for how weak she felt. “I always knew that there were people who were richer, smarter, and more capable than I could ever be…I just thought I could be the one who could love her better…And if she can’t find her happiness with me, I have to be okay with it because she deserves it more than anyone else.” The brunette hugs her tightly as she could practically hear the fractures in Nicole’s voice when she spoke; breaking into bits and bits.

“Nicole, I need you to know that just like everyone else, you deserve happiness too.” The brunette sniffs, holding back her own tears from anger. “You need to know that you did nothing wrong and you have every right to feel everything. You are only human.” With that the redhead looks up for a split second as if in confirmation only to be met with Shae’s reassuring nod. With that, it was as if a weight she didn’t even know was holding her down was lifted and Nicole started to cry all over again as the smaller girl continued to hold her tight to her chest.

* * *

The following week was the last day of basketball camp. Everyone was charged with a new energy of excitement since they were all anxious to start high school the week after. Together, Shae and Nicole walked through the process together; mending her back into place piece by piece. Tonight was the big party where all the local teams would get together for a giant potluck. It was always everyone’s favorite part of the summer camp. 

Nicole helped Shae grab the tables from upstairs. The rest of camp had been going great so far. Since they went to separate middle schools, both of them were excited to finally reunite for the rest of high school. Between the two of them, they had already picked out the clubs they’d be joining together. 

Slowly, both of them emerge from the stairway. Nicole cautiously takes the tail end of the table walking backwards as Shae takes the front guiding her down.

“So, I’ve been thinking…” Nicole grunts as she turns the corner careful not to scrape the walls. “Since you want to do HOSA to get yourself situated in the medical field, I thought I should do Mock Trial. I dunno...might be a good way for me to get into law.” The brunette’s face brightens at the idea with a grin. 

“Yeah! I heard they even let you travel if you get to the national level! Oh my god, please tell me you’ll get me something from Disneyland if you go to L.A!” The redhead snorted as she adjusted her grip on the edge.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I don’t even know how good I’m going to be.”

“Yeah but you’ve always been so law. Actually come to think of it...why don’t you try to be a lawyer instead of a cop. I mean, it’s gotta be safer right?” Nicole shrugs, setting down the table as they start to pull out the legs of the table.

“Meh. Being a lawyer means I’d have to take cases and possibly argue for people even if they’re wrong. I don’t want to keep an asshole from going to prison. If I’m a cop, I’ll take the suspects in and leave it up to the judge to decide.” The brunette tilts her head to the side and nods, setting the food up on the table.

“Fair enough. I never thought-”

“What is up Purgatory High!” A loud cheer rings through the gym followed by a few hoots making both Shae and Nicole’s blood run cold. Both of them knew that booming voice all too well sending chills down the redhead’s spine and giving a headache to Shae.

“Oh god. Why the fuck now?!” The brunette mutters, cursing under her breath heading straight for her coach. “Coach Charlie?” The man turns around and offers a friendly smile.

“Hey, what’s up kiddo? You ready for the party tonight?” Shae draws in a breath before exhaling, deciding not to answer the question.

“Why is the coach from the Calgary team here? They haven’t come by before.” Charlie just shrugged, turning to look at the crowd.

“Well it’d be rude not to invite them. They did come for a clinic earlier this summer after all. So I figured, why the hell not?” The smaller girl grimaced at the memory. She didn’t tell Nicole this but she knew that the redhead was seeing someone even before she told her. After that clinic as she was walking out of the bathroom during their lunch break, she caught sight of the taller girl kissing Gretta by the bleachers. Most kids were outside goofing off with the new kids but it suddenly explained where Nicole had disappeared off to early on during the break. She shook her head trying to forget the sight as well as the slight pang in her chest that always followed suit.  _ Get it together Shae! Nicole needs you!  _ She turned on her heel about to warn the taller girl when suddenly she was stopped in her tracks. There Gretta was, standing in front of Nicole with a smile on her face; almost as if they hadn’t broken up at all. The redhead says something that makes Gretta laugh but even from a distance, Shae could practically see the cloud of anxiety shrouding Nicole as she fidgeted with the edges of her shirt nervously. The smaller girl let out a growl about to stomp over and whack that bitch upright before she watched Gretta take the redhead by the arm and drag her up the stairs to the second level. 

Narrowing her eyes, Shae waits a few moments before promptly following the couple up the stairs a few paces behind them sitting just at the top of the steps behind the wall. She watches from afar as they wander into Coach Charlie’s office before gently shutting the door halfway leaving a crack just small enough to carry traces of their voices.

* * *

“So...I guess I have a few questions…” Nicole starts as she fumbles for her words, unconsciously rubbing the backs of her hands. Gretta smiles gently, intertwining their fingertips.

“Ask away.” The redhead studies their fingers for a while. Watching as one laced behind the other before finally shaking her head and pulling her hands away.

“Just...what are we doing right now? Am I supposed to wait for you? I don’t understand…” Gretta pauses for a second, eyebrows furrowed deep in thought before coming up with an answer.

“We’re not together anymore. But I need you to know that I love you okay? And I didn’t do this to hurt you.”

“So why did we break up then? If you love me?” Gretta let out a sigh as she pieced together her words.

“We broke up because of the distance. We’re both starting high school next year an hour apart and I want you to be free to love whoever you want.” The brunette fidgeted with her ring causing another wave of anxiety to flow through her as she drew in a breath.

“So...did you get that ring from someone?” Gretta looked up at the taller girl with confusion before widening her eyes as she realized she had grown accustomed to them on her fingers. 

“Oh! No no no. I-You see, before we broke up, I got them as couples rings for the two of us. I just remembered what you said about liking more masculine bands and it caught my eye at the store.” Nicole’s eyebrows crinkle in confusion at the statement but before she could open her mouth to add another question however, Gretta stood up from their sitting position pulling Nicole up by her hands and gently guided the redhead’s palms to her hips as she hooked her arms around her neck. A familiar fluttering sensation bloomed in Nicole’s chest but she couldn’t shake the uncertainty that accompanied it. 

_ Just what the heck is she doing? Aren’t we broken up? _ But before she could say anything, the smaller girl continued to guide them in small, delicate steps as they swayed their hips side to side in sync. 

* * *

It was New Year’s Eve, a day that Nicole looked forward to every year since it was the one day her parents allowed her to drink as a part of tradition. Shae’s parents joined them at the Haught household and the living room was full of laughter echoing through the halls. But all Nicole could do was space out as the anxiety bubbled in her gut. She tossed her phone under the bed; afraid that the temptation to check her Instagram would only serve to break her further. Shae and Nicole had started at Purg High for about a semester at that point but ever since the party the redhead just wasn’t the same. They continued to eat lunch together and go to practice and clubs...but Nicole wouldn’t talk to her anymore.  _ Talk,  _ talk. Of course they would fall into conversation but even when it seemed to everyone else that the taller girl wore everything around her sleeves, in truth, she hadn’t said a word about her own well being in months. 

The brunette mindlessly pressed attack combos on her controller as they continued to battle on the new Nintendo console that the redhead had received for Christmas. Shae knew. She just  _ knew  _ Gretta was somehow talking to Nicole but she had no idea how to bring up the subject. Gritting her teeth, she finally made the last move before slamming Nicole’s Lucario character off the field giving her the final point she needed to win. The taller girl huffed with a slanted grin turning back to her friend.

“Looks like you win again Shae.” The brunette scoffs before pressing pause on her remote and finally shifts her body to face Nicole. 

“So, are you going to ask anyone to the winter formal after break?” The redhead’s expression froze for a second before she began to rub the backs of her hands deep in thought.

“I dunno. Dances aren’t really my thing I guess. What about you? Are you going to ask Kyle York? He seems to be all over you…” Shae scoffs and pushes her shoulder in mock offense. But the twisting inside her ceased to be ignored. Sometimes she forgets that she still hasn’t come out to her best friend yet. It wasn’t that she was afraid that she wouldn’t accept her. But if she were to tell her she was gay too then it might ruin the ease that they have in their friendship...well...had.

“Shut up! I have standards too, you know.” The taller girl laughs waving her hand dismissively before turning back to the screen.

“Yeah okay, if you say so. Do you want to go back to playing?” Shae lets out a breath realizing that Nicole wasn’t going to budge. Standing up, she quickly brushes herself off before making her way to the door.

“I will. Give me a sec though. I’m going to go to the bathroom.” The taller girl nods absently as the door closes behind her. Sitting in the silence of her room though, she could practically feel her phone burning a hole in the carpet of her room.

_ What if she texted back? Five hours is long enough to wait for a text right?  _ She fidgeted weighing the pros and cons, her breath coming in short as she tried to calm down her nerves.  _ Fuck it.  _ She decided before throwing her blanket off and scrambling for her phone. Her fingers shook as she typed in the password slowly and swiped to the last screen where her Instagram lie. Holding her breath she opened her Instagram and refreshed the page. To her relief, a new DM showed up in her inbox. Letting out a breath she opened it to find a single text from Gretta thirty minutes ago.

**Gretta: I’ll be up late, love. Take all the time you need 💕💕💕**

Nicole sighed as her thoughts continued to race along with her heart. This seemed to be a new thing these days. Gretta started to cross the boundary between friendly and romantic but it’s not like Nicole could do anything about it. Hell, she was her first  _ everything.  _ What could she possibly do? Despite the growing affection from Gretta’s texts however, she always stopped herself from crossing that line. Ever since October, the brunette began to send her heart emojis. While the redhead was taken aback of course, she awkwardly replied with a smiley face not wanting to cross any lines. She couldn’t after all. Not when Gretta was always out posting a new picture with some guy she was out with every week practically hugging his torso. But then December rolled around and as they began to talk more she began to call her babe. At this point, all Nicole wanted to do was flood the smaller girl’s inbox with hearts and quotes on love with all the affection she could muster. But the tug in her chest always stopped her. 

Sighing, she decided to reply with a generic, thanks accompanied with a yellow heart before pushing send. Swiping out of her texts however, she saw that the brunette had updated her story. Hesitantly, she clicked on it watching it load when suddenly, a picture of her and some guy were arm in arm dressed up ready to go to their Winter Formal. Her heart dropped at the image but she couldn’t tear her eyes away. Even as the stabbing pain seemed to pierce right through her along with the anxiety. 

Suddenly, the door busted open to reveal Shae with a small bottle of wine and two glasses as she entered their room. 

“Sorry it took so long. Our moms handed me this when I got out so we could drink this together during the countdown. I think your dad and mine went out for a beer though.” She shrugged indifferently, placing down the glasses. “No biggie though. You wanna have a glass now or later?” The redhead looked between her phone and at the thick concoction awaiting her in the glass. She then tossed her phone underneath her pillow and motioned for a glass. Shae noticed the action and was about to press her on it but decided to hold her tongue. With that she uncorked the bottle and poured them each a glass; watching as the red substance sloshed around in their cups. She handed one to Nicole in which she greatly accepted and they clinked their glasses before taking a drink. The taller girl on the other hand was in no mood to take it slow. Eyeing the dark liquid she chugged the liquid down her throat, letting the acrid taste go down her throat. She was in no mood to be lost in her thoughts tonight.

* * *

It was one in the morning and Shae had passed out long before, right after the New Year’s countdown. The adults seemed to have fallen asleep in a similar manner downstairs leaving Nicole wide in a dull throb of her thoughts. Peeking up from her pillow, she looked down at the floor to check and see if the brunette was still awake only to be met with the quiet breaths from her slumber; only seeming to amplify the volume of her thoughts. 

_ I hate that I can’t tell her how much she means to me. All I want to do is tell her that I love her too but I can’t...I don’t even know where I stand. And she’s with that guy...kinda? What do I even know?  _ Perhaps it was the alcohol pumping through her veins but she swore she began to be able to hear her heart speak. 

_ I’m tired.  _ It sighed, thumping gently.  _ Holding this back is my misery. Just send it already. Don’t you see? It’s hurting already. _ With that she manages to slide her hand underneath her pillow barely managing to type in the password. As she approached the familiar pink logo she reluctantly pushed it open and slowly typed out everything she was feeling before hitting send.

* * *

As the doorbell rang, Nicole thundered down the stairs quickly fixing her shirt as she let out a shaky breath. Finally she reached out her hand pulling down on the door handle before her heart stopped at the sight.  _ She was here. Finally. After three months of planning they managed to convince their parents to let her come over and spend the night.  _ Granted, Nicole told them that they were just friends and wanted to hang out for the heck of it but it happened. And now, the taller girl was pretty sure she couldn’t breathe. 

“Hi…” She manages cracking the door open halfway as if she was afraid that Gretta would fade right from her doorstep. The brunette smiled with a warm grin reminding the redhead exactly why she loved her in the first place.

“Hey yourself.” Gretta replied with a smile taking in the sight of the redhead. “Can I come in?” Nicole’s eyes widen for a second as she fumbles to pull the door open.

“Yeah! Yeah, of course. Uh, come in.” Pulling the door wide she steps aside leaving enough room to let her somewhat kind of girlfriend in. Things had been going okay for the most part in the past few months. Ever since she went to the Mock Trial competition in L.A in April, she noticed less pictures of the mystery dude and on occasion, pictures of Nicole. When the redhead went to her debate, she had found out half the people that attended were gay after she got into a heated argument with a homophobe. All the sudden, people slowly started to trickle in next to her and join the discussion one by one revealing their varying identities as well and nowhere else had she ever felt more at home than in that moment. After that, they invited her to a Mock Trial after party in the dorms that they stayed at and drank. Nicole didn’t of course but everyone else did. She stood there simply enjoying the music and talking with this girl who saw her stand up for the LGBT community during the debate. But one thing led to another and in the girl’s drunken state she pulled Nicole’s shirt and kissed her full on the lips. In the redhead’s panicked state she quickly pushed her off and ran out the door. Even if it wasn’t technically cheating, it sure as hell felt like it. So in her distressed state she called up Gretta and apologized to her and confessed everything. She wasn’t sure what changed after that point but the brunette seemed to text Nicole more frequently since then and after many months of planning they decided to finally meet up in June; a month before their anniversary. 

There were so many things remaining unsaid between them but the taller girl didn’t want to press, afraid to jinx the pace that their relationship was going already. Closing the door they make their way up the stairs deciding to drop off her bags in her room. For a long while they sit in silence unsure of what to do when suddenly the taller girl sparks with a thought as she dug around in a desk drawer before pulling out a stack of cards.

“How do you feel about playing Most Likely To?”

* * *

By the time night rolled around, the redhead was starting to fall asleep at around one in the morning, dozing off to the distant sound of voices from some movie they were watching. A supernatural, sci-fi, demon hunting show of some sort. Before long, her eyes grew heavy as she found comfort in the soft scent of laundry detergent coming from the smaller girl who remained in her embrace.

What seemed like a few minutes shortly was followed by a gentle shake. The redhead groaned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she took in her surroundings. Gretta smiled gently, pressing a small kiss to her cheek causing a heat to rise to her face. To this day, Nicole had only kissed Gretta once but even the small kiss on the cheek gave her the same airy feeling.

“Baby, can you help me turn off the T.V? I can’t figure out how to use your console.” Gretta whispers in her ear quietly, not wanting to ruin the soft atmosphere they found themselves in. Nicole wraps her arms around the smaller girl’s middle, placing a small kiss just in the crook of her jaw before she stood up and fiddled around with their DVD player. After a few moments, she finally shut off the console. And walked back with a yawn causing the brunette to smile endearingly at the sight. “You ready to go to bed now, love?”

“Mhmm, okay.” Smiling Gretta gently takes her hand and pulls the covers open before sliding in. Nicole then tucks her in, sweetly placing a kiss on her forehead before grabbing her own blanket and pillow from the floor getting ready to sleep when she feels a hand catch her wrist.

“Why don’t you sleep with me? You shouldn’t have to sleep on the ground after all...it’s not good for your back…” The redhead’s eyes suddenly widened at the proposition jerking wide awake. She opened her mouth for a second before closing it trying to weigh the pros and cons. Reluctantly, temptation got to the best of her as she tentatively pulled the covers back and slid in with her into the small, narrow bed. Naturally, Nicole took the big spoon position. Wrapping her arm around Gretta’s middle she took a long breath in savoring the moment, just about to drift into a deep sleep. 

The tranquility didn’t last long however.

Without warning she felt the gentle brush of Gretta’s fingertips guide her own hand further up from the smaller girl’s stomach just to the underside of her chest. Not knowing how to respond, she remained frozen, unsure of what to do. She would be lying if she said that she hadn’t hoped that they would share a kiss at least at some point of this visit but now that they were here...in her bed...everything was happening really fast.

Gretta then motioned for her to make a clenching motion right at her heart. Slowly, Nicole followed suit, hesitantly letting her hand move with a mind of its own. As she heard the brunette’s breath hitch something in her chest tightened as she felt her restraint growing thinner and thinner. The taller girl let out a thick breath as she started to grow more confident in her movements. A gentle kiss to the back of her neck here, a responding jerk of her hips there. But after a few more moments of this, Gretta abruptly spun around and crashed their slips together.

The moment their lips met, Nicole’s eyes slammed shut as she kept a firm grip on the smaller girl’s hips when suddenly, she felt the deft sweep of Gretta’s tongue against the seams of her lips before feeling her desperately pushing herself in. Their lips began to move in sync with a few small nips and their tongues exploring every inch of each other. Without warning however, the smaller girl flips them over causing Nicole’s eyes to suddenly snap open with hesitation. Sure she thought they could explore each other a bit but it was at that moment she began to wonder just how far they would go. Before she could ask, Gretta slides her hand underneath the redhead’s shirt stroking the sides of her ribs causing a shudder to escape Nicole’s lips. But all the while Nicole was starting to get worried. Just how far were they going to go? Hell, she didn’t even know if they were dating or not. Nonetheless, the taller girl let the touches continue figuring that a few touches were harmless, hoping that deep down, Gretta would ask her eventually. Suddenly, the brunette trailed a slow hand down Nicole’s ribs to her waistline. Apprehension began to run high but words wouldn’t form in the taller girl’s mouth for she was afraid of how to bring it up. 

_ Say it!  _ Her thoughts yelled at her as Gretta’s fingertips began to dip beneath her pants. And yet, all the redhead could do was remain frozen. She suddenly felt the smaller girl’s fingertips run just along the edges of her center causing her to suck in a harsh breath before instinctively panicking and clenching her legs shut in hopes of signaling that she wasn’t ready for words were seeming to fail her at the moment. Of course, that didn’t stop the brunette from tracing her underwear once more only to be met with another clench of her legs.  _ Please.  _ She begged in her head as a tightness in her stomach began to form wanting it all to stop.  _ I’m not ready yet. I’m not-I can’t... _ but all she was met with was a silence when she gave a final clench that didn’t stop Gretta’s fingertips from pushing open her legs to sink underneath the remaining article of clothing. For a second, it was almost as if all time had stopped when she suddenly felt her dip between her folds and began to push in a single finger. But it wasn’t at all what she had hoped it would feel like. Instead of euphoric, all she could do was wonder when it was going to be over. After a few minutes of this process she attempted to fake her own climax just to get it over with. When finally, after a second attempt to end it, she finally felt her slip out her fingers much to her own relief.

* * *

The following day, Nicole awoke early as her eyes attempted to adjust to the morning light. She shifted a bit trying hard not to disturb the smaller girl in her arms as flashbacks of the night before began to echo in her mind. She did end up returning the favor to her later that night which was done with a bit more ease. As far as she knew, it seemed that Gretta couldn’t tell the difference. However, unlike their first kiss, all the redhead felt was a sense of loss. Almost as if her first time was wasted...but she couldn’t dwell on that in the moment. If that’s what it took to make Gretta happy, she hoped this act was a sign that the smaller girl was finally ready to be exclusive.

There was a sudden shift in the mattress snapping the redhead out of her thoughts as the brunette let out a long stretch before blinking her eyes so she could get used to the surroundings. Nicole brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face, offering a lopsided smile.

“Good morning baby…” Gretta gave a small hum in response before slowly sitting up to push off the covers and get out of bed. Nicole tilted her head a bit as a part of her chest sinks watching her leave the room. “Where-where are you going?” Gretta simply grabbed a few items from her duffel before exiting out the door waving her hand in the air as she left.

“Just to shower. I’ll be back.” And with that she closed the door leaving the redhead in an empty bed with her knees curled to her chest; swallowing the hollow fear eating away inside her.

* * *

It’d been weeks since Gretta had visited and their texts were getting more and more curt. They hadn’t made anything official but with each passing day the anxiety began to swell. Shae had been asking more and more questions as well but the redhead was in no mood to answer any of them when in truth, she didn’t know the answers herself. Finally, after many long debates with herself, she hovered a shaky thumb over the Instagram icon once more. A heavy cloud of dread ate away in the pit of her stomach before she managed to at last find Gretta in her contacts and open up their messages. Before she began to type.

**Nicole: Heyyy...I know you’re probably really busy right now with basketball camp and everything but I was just wondering since I think we should talk about what happened…**

**Nicole: Uhhh**

**Nicole: Whatdiditmeanwhenweweretogetherthatnight? Arewetogethernoworwasitaonenightstandkindofthing…**

**Gretta: Woah, woah, woah. Hold on, what?**

**Nicole: I was just thinking...I don’t know what to do anymore after you came over to my house. What is going on between the two of us?...**

**Gretta: To be honest? I’m more of a one night stand kind of girl. Most people usually don’t get a second taste of me...It’s not you though, I swear. I’m just really, really fucked up and I don’t want to drag you down with me.**

**Nicole: Ahhh...okay. Thanks for giving me a chance though. We...have a lot of memories that I’ll cherish forever. I hope you can find your happiness one day even if it can’t be with me.**

**Gretta: Nicole...it’s not that I don’t love you. Because trust me, I do. I really, really love you Nicole and I need you to know that.**

**Gretta: You are the best heart that I’ve ever met and I hope you know this from me.**

**Gretta: Nicole?**

* * *

Sophomore year started and at this point Nicole dropped out of basketball. She confessed everything to Shae only serving to fuel the flames of anger in her friend but at this point, Nicole was so lost, she couldn’t even find it in herself to feel anything. Her parents questioned her sudden choice to quit but didn’t press her on it. Her dad even muttered ‘thank god’ under his breath while her mom pursed her lips and asked if she was sure. Nicole simply shrugged and said she wasn’t doing too well in the leagues anymore and it burned her out so that was that. 

But instead of falling behind in her studies, Nicole practically  _ threw  _ herself into them. Between mock trial, her various A.P classes, and morning workout routine she let herself fall into an endless stream of work. All of it was better than sitting alone with her thoughts. The only good thing that came out of her emersement in school however was her rise in popularity. In the next few months, Nicole became a well known figure to all of Purg High which also meant a surplus in high school parties she attended. Shae would always tag along to quote “keep her company” but really she knew she had to be there to keep the redhead on her toes. Every weekend Nicole began to spend her Friday nights drinking, fucking, and doing this in repeat. After losing her virginity she no longer saw the point in saving sex for love and it became an ongoing cycle from there. But it’s not like Shae could really stop her. She didn’t know how to make it better either. All she knew was that Gretta Perley was some bitch and if she ever had the balls to show up at their school again, that girl better be praying to every higher power out there that she would survive Shae’s wrath. In the meantime, she knew that if she couldn’t fix it, the least she could do was look after her.

But slowly over time, the drinking got worse. To the point where the redhead would get totally shitfaced and black out drunk. It’s not like Nicole had parents in her life to stop her though. Half the time they weren’t even home. With Nicole’s dad being an international businessman for a large tech corporation and her mom being sent away frequently to help engineers on certain STEM projects, they hardly noticed anything.

One night in November however, Shae was helping Nicole get her home when the taller girl started to slur.

“Nuh uh. I ain’t done yet Shaaaae. Lemmee...lemmee at least hit Cooper Bryannnt’s house. I thin’ Beth’s gonna be there....” That’s when the last straw snapped and Shae suddenly stopped at the entrance of their car with an incredulous look on her face.

“Are you kidding me right now?! Nicole! You are wasted! Like fucking can’t stand up for shit kind of wasted! And I get it! Gretta fucking sucks! Hell, I actually really want to bitch slap her all the way to Jupiter for what she did to you! But I need you to stop acting like this!” She threw her hands up in the air waving them around as her voice raised a decibel. “Because fucking girl’s like a whore and drinking your life away isn’t going to make the memory go away!...Or the hurt…” She sniffed as tears rolled down her face as she stared at the broken girl in front of her, barely standing upright. “I can’t keep watching you do this to yourself Nicole because it hurts. It hurts seeing you break down bit by bit and lose everything that I love about you! You were the girl who stood up for me in second grade when Peter shoved me off the play structure because he thought that girl’s didn’t deserve to use the jungle gym before boys. You were the one who watched corny 80’s movies with me until we fell asleep at three a.m after we got the news that my grandma died. And  _ you  _ were the one that got me help when I was being harassed by Tucker Gardener at school.” She took in a deep breath before exhaling to continue. “So I will be here for you even when you can’t love yourself because right now, I owe it to you. No, I  _ want  _ to help you. But I can’t keep dragging your ass out of parties because that’s not helping you get out of this slump. And honestly Nicole? Is this really helping you move on from this girl?” 

Suddenly the redhead burst out into tears slumping forward with her head in her hands as her shoulders shook. To which, Shae quickly rushed over to her side to hold in a tight embrace rubbing soothing circles on her back before letting a single whisper fall from her lips.

“I’m going to help you get through it okay? But first, I want you to know that it’s okay to feel hurt. It’s okay to cry. You’re only human.”

* * *

The next two weeks passed in a blur. Nicole and Shae finally talked it out again once she was sober to set in place a better plan for her to get rid of her feelings. Most of it consisted of talking about the situation together, even ripping up a whole bunch of papers, and sometimes sitting in silence, watching the ducks pass in the nearby pond. It was a slow process but sure enough, Shae had managed to pull the redhead out of her bad habits by replacing them with time spent together. And even if she wasn’t close to moving on quite yet, they were beginning to help Nicole rediscover fragments of herself piece by piece. 

At this point in time, her A.P Lit bell rang causing the abrupt squeak of chairs to scrape against the classroom floor. Nicole sighed, hefting her bag onto her shoulder before suddenly being stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

“Nicole Haught right?” The redhead’s eyes widen like saucers as she lets out a slow nod. Her teacher Ms. Martin smiles reassuringly before motioning for the girl to follow her to her desk. “Come. I want to talk to you about something.” Swallowing, Nicole cautiously seats herself in front of her teacher’s desk rubbing the backs of her hands out of habit. Ms. Martin catches this and lets out a breathy laugh. “Hey, relax Haught. You’re not in trouble. In fact, I already called your geometry teacher to tell her you’ll be late.” She then bent down to rummage through her drawer before promptly pulling out a thin packet. “Aha! Found it.” She states with glee before placing it down in front of Nicole to see. “Alright, I’ve got a lot to say about your paper Nic. Listen, you’ve got amazing writing potential. That’s no doubt. But I want to challenge you a bit…” Ms. Martin trails off as she flips to the title page pointing at the prompt. “On Monday, I gave you guys a thousand word essay on writing about loss. And the actual quality of writing was there! Strong verbs, good organization, and narrative techniques...but I want you to reconsider the topic. Don’t get me wrong! Losing a pet can be devastating but I think you have it in you to really stretch this prompt. I want to feel that gut wrenching, stomach dropping,  _ pain.  _ I want to  _ hear  _ your voice through your words...but most of all…” She trailed off looking with all sincerity deep into her eyes. “I want you to be honest with yourself. Be honest with how you feel even if you don’t like it. The best pieces are the ones with the most truth; most depth. The best bad guys aren’t completely bad and the best good guys aren’t always good. Can you do that for me?” Nicole stared at the paper for a long minute not knowing what to say. She already knew exactly what she wanted to write about but...she was scared. She didn’t know if she was ready to face this part of herself yet. But as Ms. Martin saw the uncertainty behind her eyes, she softened her gaze at the girl in front of her.

“Hey,” She prompted softly causing the redhead to look up and meet her unwavering gaze. “I wouldn’t be asking this of you if I knew you couldn’t do it. But I want you to know that whatever you want to write about, just trust it. I swear on my life it won’t leave this class or our conversation. But I know you’re still holding up a twenty-ton shield in front of your face. Vulnerability is a strength Nicole Haught.” 

A small knock on the door jerks them out of their bubble as Mr. Nedley stood at the door. He gave a tip of his hat waving at Ms. Martin from the entrance.

“Afternoon ladies.” He says, twirling a thick roll of tape around his finger. Nicole’s eyebrows shot up at the man in excitement before walking over to her teacher excitedly.

“Hi Mr. Nedley! I didn’t know you taught here! I thought you just ran Mock Trial.” She said with a sort of airy wonder. The older man chuckled, adjusting his belt a bit.

“Well now I don’t actually teach here Haught but Ms. Martin’s helping me organize the details so we could start a girl’s wrestling team here in Purg High...well that and she let me borrow some of her tape for the mats.” He said just as he placed the roll on her cabinet with a small smile. “Well I don’t want to bother you all too much now so I best get on-”

“Wait!” Nicole called out to the older man stopping him in his tracks. “There’s a girl’s wrestling team now?” He shrugged, tilting his head with a nod in confirmation.

“It’ll be run with the guys of course since I don’t expect to get that much hype in the first year but I would phrase it as tougher training. You any good on the mat?” The redhead nodded her head slowly.

“I take a martial called Judo. It’s a sport where you throw people...it’s similar enough to wrestling right?” The man lets out a loud laugh stroking his mustache in consideration.

“Yeah, yeah. Close enough. What d’you say Ms. Martin? Think Haught shot here can handle what our wrestler’s gotta take?” The woman smiles at Nicole with a sort of amusement glinting in her eyes.

“Oh trust me...Haught here is as tough as it gets…”

* * *

Sitting in front of her computer that night, Nicole has been attempting to write and rewrite the start to her essay all over again unsure exactly what to say. She’s started the same sentence hundreds of times but each phrase couldn't possibly set the tone she wanted for her piece.

_ Be honest Ms. Martin said. Honest...even if it hurts like hell. _

With a snap of her fingers, she finally jerked her head up as her greatest inspiration hit her like a rock.

**_Sometimes I feel like I forget that even though I train 18 hours a week and hold a national champion title, just like everyone else, I’m only human._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this at 2:00 a.m so I really don't know how this turned out but I hope you guys don't hate me too much...


	11. Wounds Heal, Scars Fade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Got some big discussions and a new plot arc. Just what the fuck is going on??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Like every week, I am sending you all my best wishes to you and your families and I hope each and every one of you is managing to stay somewhat positive and healthy. I know I haven't been exactly fair about my update schedule these past few weeks and I apologize. But on the plus side, I have a huge announcement. I've been a bit flaky lately not without cause, but because I'm starting a new series! Two of them actually. One of them is a Wynhaught one-shot collection, and the other is a Wayhaught short story. As far as completion dates goes, I will have them announced soon on my twitter. With that being said, thank you all for your patience with me and as always I give each and every one of you my humblest regards. I would have never imagined ten people would like to read my work, much less hundreds. Thank you for everyone who leaves kudos, subscribes, and views and I wish you all the best! Happy reading!  
> P.S: My Twitter is @Earper_4life if you want to come check it out ^*^

**_Present Day..._ **

They sat in silence for a few moments, each unsure of what the other should say. Waverly fidgeted her thumbs trying to come up with an answer that wasn’t just  _ sorry.  _ How could you possibly just say sorry to something like this?  _ I’m  _ sorry  _ that you had to go through that. I’m  _ sorry  _ she broke you in a way you would never forget. I’m sorry I can’t even begin to fathom this- _

“It doesn’t hurt me anymore.” Nicole cut through her thoughts gently. The redhead tentatively reached her hand out to hold the smaller girl’s palm before stopping; wondering if she’d said too much. But in response Waverly stretched out her fingertips and intertwined them fully with her girlfriend’s. An action that spoke thousands of words. 

But the young Earp couldn’t bring herself to look the taller girl in the eyes quite yet. She just stared at the floor and one by one slow silent tears dropped into her lap. Alarmed, Nicole abruptly pushed her chair back causing a bit of a scrape against the floor before she rushed over to Waverly’s side and held her in her arms.

“Baby?...” The redhead prompted softly before taking the palm of her hand and forefinger to lift the smaller girl’s eyes to meet hers. Nicole’s heart nearly breaking at the sight of her girlfriend like this. “I’m okay now. I’m okay. It was hard but I know now that I wouldn’t be who I am without it. I chose not to be a victim. I chose to be a survivor. And I’m better now because of it. You don’t have to be sorry for anything Waves. I don’t have a single regret because I have been living my best self by facing my truths. So, all I need you to know...” the taller girl said with a gentle smile as she stroked the bottom of Waverly’s jaw. “I would never ask you to do anything,  _ be _ anything that you’re not. And if I ever give you that impression...let me know so we can backtrack together, okay?” 

Finally, the smaller girl cracked out a simple smile as she stood up wrapping her arms around Nicole’s neck. And as she looked into the redhead’s eyes, all she could see was pure adoration and love in her gaze. The older girl delicately pushes back a strand of hair behind Waverly’s ear before resting their foreheads together bringing them impossibly closer. Standing up, the young Earp lifted herself onto the tips of her toes to join their lips, and deep inside her she felt something  _ shift.  _ Because as they lost themselves in this simple moment together, she could only feel her heart falling deeper and deeper for this girl in front of her.

* * *

As Mr. Schilling began to dim the lights and begin the day's lecture, Nicole found her consciousness slipping as her head began to droop while her fingers continued to scrawl gibberish slanting off the page. When suddenly, a bustle of chairs surround the redhead followed by the scrape of desks. Jerking her head up, her eyes searched around the class to gather some sort of answer as to what they were doing.

One by one, kids began to pair off into groups of two before rushing off to claim their seat at the lab benches. At this point, Nicole was frantic but her thoughts were cut off by the abrupt voice of her AP Bio teacher.

“Hey gang! Is there anyone else who’s having a little trouble finding a partner?” Nicole raised her hand, with a cringe on her face before shifting back into panic when only one other hand shot up alongside her. “Perfect! You two can take lab 14! Alright gang, let’s get to work.” Mr. Schilling said cheerily before shutting off his projector as the class fell into a bustling state of murmurs. The redhead stiffly made her way across the room to her partner, trying to take the wince out of her words.

“Hey...Shae.” The brunette firmly pressed her lips together giving the taller girl an unamused look but she eventually relented and just waved a hand at the empty seat beside her gesturing for Nicole to sit down. Picking up a few things, Shae turned the 3-D model in front of them left and right before silently clicking her pen and jotting down a few notes into her packet. The taller girl looked down at her own blank packet, sifting through hoping that it would give her some semblance of understanding as to what exactly they were looking at.

About five minutes later however, she flipped and turned every page in the dense inquiry packet only serving to heighten her anxiety and confusion. Shae let out a huff as she threw down her packet and crossed her arms, looking at her friend incredulously. 

“You seriously have no god damn clue what is going on here do you Haught?” Nicole looked down at their desk rubbing the back of her neck in shame. The brunette blew out a breath of air and took the taller girl’s packet, flipping it to the second page. “Start here. Read all the way to page 3 paragraph six and then use the model we have of the human tongue to create a series of leveled questions we could do a lab on next class.” The redhead gave Shae a grateful look as she took the packet back. The smaller girl only rolled her eyes in response before turning back to her own packet to finish her notes. For a few moments, the two of them sit in a tense silence when suddenly Nicole lets out a huff and puts down her pencil.

“What are we doing here, Shae?”

“I thought I just told you.” the brunette replied irritably, still not looking up from her packet. The taller girl only sighed in response.

“No, I mean what are  _ we _ doing here? We’ve seen each other at our lowest and stuck around for one another...even when we fucked up, at least we had each other-”

“But that’s just it.” Shae said, throwing down her pen. “It’s not  _ just us _ anymore. And I just- I don’t even  _ understand _ Nicole. That girl has known you for all of three months, maybe four whereas I’ve been around for over six years. Just, why Nicole?! Why?” Anger began to rise in her chest as her body stiffened at the accusations. She then swiftly turned in her seat narrowing her eyes at the brunette sitting next to her.

“What about you being gay? For all the shit that we’ve been through you couldn’t even come out to me? What was holding you back?! That I wouldn’t accept you?!”

“Well when was supposed to be a good time?!” Shae cut through, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. “When you were in an abusive relationship? Or when you were drunk? What about when your mom died and your dad kicked you out? Sounds like the perfect time to lay my own problems onto you.” Something on Nicole’s face softened before she reached her hand out to the smaller girl.

“Shae...I-” The brunette pulls her own hand away before abruptly shuffling her papers back together and picking up her pen once again. 

“Look, Nicole. You got your happy ending, okay? And now we have to work on this project together so are you going to pick up the slack or am I gonna have to find a new partner?”

“Well there’s no one else...” The brunette gives her a fierce look promptly shutting the taller girl up.

“Okay, okay. We’ll drop it.” She says in defeat lifting her hands up in surrender. And with that, Shae muttered something under her breath and turned back to her work as they spent the rest of class without a word to each other.

* * *

The second the bell rang, Shae swiftly stuffed everything into her bag and walked out leaving Nicole to clean up after their station. With a sigh, the redhead grudgingly picked up the remaining garbage around their seats and picked apart their model before heading out. But the second she turned out the door she swore she could feel her heart smile along with her face as she caught sight of the small figure leaning against her locker with a pile of books held tightly against her chest. As she made her way over, Waverly smiled upon meeting her gaze practically radiating light straight from her soul.

“Hi sweetie pie! How’s your day been?” All of Nicole’s worries instantly melted away as she made her way over to her girlfriend and encased the smaller girl in her arms. 

“A whole lot better now that you’re here.” The redhead mumbled softly placing a gentle kiss on the young Earp’s head causing her to giggle.

“Glad to hear it.” Waverly said with a wink before she pulled away and stuck her hand out to grasp the taller girl’s hand. “Come on, let’s go to lunch.” 

Hand in hand, they take their time walking through the halls as Waverly rambles on about some philosophy from the book Demian while the redhead tries to listen but her head manages to wander outside of their conversation.

“-so don’t you think that Sinclair teaches us that as a society we’re poisoned by Dogma? Nic? Baby are you okay?” The older girl’s eyes widened looking back at her girlfriend before realizing that she had stopped in the middle of the hall. 

“I-Uh, it’s nothing Waves...just super spacey today you know?” The smaller girl looked at her with a tinge of sadness as she felt a slight pull in her chest.

“I understand sweetie. If you ever feel ready, I just hope you know that I’ll always be here to listen.”

“Oh! Baby, I swear it’s nothing serious, I promise you...it’s just…” Nicole lets out a breath trying to gather her thoughts as Waverly runs her thumb across her palm patiently. “Things have been...off with Shae and I’m just trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do from here on out.” The younger girl hummed deep in thought as she studied the redhead’s distress. Granted, Shae didn’t give Waverly the most  _ positive  _ first impression but she also knew she owed Shae a lot of gratitude for supporting Nicole when she had no one else to turn to. Gently, the young Earp cupped the edge of the taller girl’s jaw, prompting a smile from her girlfriend.

“Hey, it’s completely okay to not be okay. And you two have been through a lot so I don’t doubt you two will sort everything out eventually. It might take some time...she’s just hurting inside and being around you is hurting her too. But I promise, after everything you guys have been through? I’m sure you guys will be able to meet in the middle.” The redhead grinned a bit as she pressed a quick kiss to the smaller girl’s forehead holding her close to her chest.

“Thanks Wavey. You’re extraordinary, do you know that?” Nicole mumbled in Waverly’s ear causing the smaller girl to giggle.

“No silly. I’m just plain old me. But somehow I managed to squeeze my way into your heart which makes me the luckiest.” They share a quick laugh before a curt voice cuts through their bubble.

“Yo PDA! Quit making out already and get over here to talk to us.” Wynonna shouts at them from the other side of the cafeteria. The two of them shake their heads as they rush off to go and greet their friends; everyone shining with joy as they fall into conversation.

* * *

There was a sort of faint buzzing that was echoing off the white blank walls as Mrs. Gardener tapped away at her laptop filling the room with a repeating pattern of clicks. Suddenly, the squeak of the door hinges creaks open revealing her receptionist with her hands crossed in front of her silently waiting for her boss’s acknowledgement. After a few more clicks, Mrs. Gardener looked up, lips pressed together in a thin line bordering irritant. 

“What is it Mrs. Earp?” Willa held the same vacant look in her eyes as she pulled the pencil behind her ear and took out her clipboard before promptly detaching the paper that was left on it and handing it to the older woman.

“Your appointment for 1:30 is here and he’s already had the liberty of filling out the remainder of the parental consent forms and legal documents.” Mrs. Gardener nodded, waving a dismissive hand at the door. 

“Yes, yes. Bring him in already.” The older Earp nodded as she gestured to the man to step in before closing the door behind him. After arranging a few papers the older woman finally stood up and extended her hand out. “Hello. I’m glad we get the opportunity to finally be acquainted. My name is Charlotte Gardener and I am the head of Liberated Retribution. To what do I owe the pleasure of your acquaintance?” The man lets out a booming laugh as he reaches forward to shake the woman’s hand firmly, taking a seat in the chair in front.

“Thank you for the hospitality. You see, I’m here to put in a name for your therapy sessions? I want to pre-pay for four sessions up front just to help give my daughter a bit of perspective. If all goes well, I may even place her in your residential program.” Charlotte offered a saturated smile at the man. Taking the paper in her hands she scanned across the page for a few key details. 

“Okay...Mr. Haught I presume? Tell me a bit more about your daughter. What is the end result you seek at the end of our sessions? Do you wish to take a focus on faith? Lifestyle? Perhaps potential treatments?” The man stroked the ginger hairs of his stubble thoughtfully as he pondered the question, leaning forward weighing his options.

“You see, my daughter confessed her sin to me and my wife about a few years ago. We were living in Calgary at the time and we were about as happy as a family could be. Granted it was busy since my wife and I both worked but I would say she had a very happy childhood. And then...something changed. She started to become more disobedient if you will. You must understand, we were never restricting parents at all. When she said she wished to play her basketball, against my better judgement, Sarah, my wife, convinced me. And it was fine for the most part until...well, you see...she had this  _ friend  _ from her basketball camp that she invited to our house one day. And I’m pretty sure that girl had been a bad influence ever since because I’m sure she was a homosexual if you will. This in turn incited many bad habits in my daughter and I couldn’t have her hanging around this girl. But shortly after I explained to her that her friend was a bad influence, she told me she was a homosexual herself.” He chuckled at the memory as if he were telling a story about kids climbing trees and playing tag. “Of course I told her that was ridiculous. It’s all lust after all. However, I couldn’t stand to argue with her any longer so I sent her to Sarah’s parents who live in Purgatory. But I’m a changed man now and I see that I should’ve taken the time to educate her instead of scolding her. So in short, I was hoping your organization can help her give her methods to control her urges? Sarah told me to make things right with our daughter and I see no better way than through this.”

Mrs. Gardener nods alongside him, processing everything she just heard as she types away at her screen taking detailed notes of their dialogue.

“This is all very helpful Mr. Haught. Thank you for your thoughtful answers. I do have one more question. Has your daughter experienced any sort of intimacy with another woman before? Perhaps a fantasy?” The tall man puffed out a breath of air before responding to Mrs. Gardener.

“She confessed to it however I’m sure it was nothing more than for the sake of satisfying her own pleasure. It’s difficult for her since she’s never had a proper boyfriend after all.” The woman shook her own head in sympathy for the man before making a few last minute clicks here and there completing her report.

“Alright, Mr. Haught! It seems that you have lucked out because we happen to have a session available at 3:30. Does that work for you?” The two of them stand up and brush themselves off for a bit as they fix their posture.

“3:30 sounds perfect. Can you provide transportation? Her grandparents aren’t home until this weekend and I think she’d be more open minded to seeing me if I meet her here.” Mrs. Gardener extends her hand out for him to shake once more.

“Of course. I’ll have a car ready for her at 3:00. Thank you for putting your faith in Liberated Retribution. I’m sure you already know this but we have a 82% success rate with our methods so I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.” He grins with a flash of his dimples.

“I don’t doubt it.”

* * *

It was only twenty minutes into gym class but Waverly, Chrissy, and Jeremy have already decided that today was going to be a living hell. Once every semester, a few men from the military come by to do a clinic in hopes of getting some recruits after high school. Unfortunately for all of them, this meant non-stop circuit training.

“Drop those asses! You over there! Bend your elbows on the way down!” The man barks at Jeremy whose arms were already shaking just trying to maintain the pushup position. “Don’t cheat yourself! Finish to the end! Everybody wants to be a winner but NO ONE wants to do the work! PUSH THROUGH FOR THE LAST TEN SECONDS LETS GO!” At this point, no one wanted to do anything more than drop dead but it was an unspoken statement that everyone had to finish without stopping otherwise the Lieutenant would add more seconds to the clock. “And TIME. Okay, go ahead and catch your breath and get some water.” The class groaned in relief before racing to the water fountain, shoving each other out of the way to get there. Today, no one seemed to care that the school water fountains tasted like paint. Gasping for air, Chrissy and Waverly flop onto the floor sighing in relief as the coolness from the tiled floor ailing their over boiled senses. After taking his gulp of water, Jeremy promptly followed suit laying down next to them.

“Jeez. This is one thing I’m not going to miss about P.E next year.” The smaller boy gasped, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Will you even miss P.E at all, Jeremy?” Chrissy asked, turning to him with a slanted look.

“No…” They all shared a laugh at that as they sat up stretching their limbs. Waverly twisted her neck as she tried to get rid of all the kinks.

“But you know what comes next right?” The young Earp said with a tired look as they all groaned.

“Alright everyone! Follow me down to the weight room!” The lieutenant cut through right on que. Huffing, Chrissy stood up and extended both of her hands out to help her friends stand up. With a slight yank, the two of them finally managed to stand as their legs managed to hobble over to the weight room at the end of the hall. Another military officer awaited them there before promptly pushing open the double doors revealing rows and rows of squat racks, bench press cages, and a whole assortment of dumbbells. The place reeked of old sweat, deteriorating rubber, and metal. The smaller girl shivered as she stepped in; memories flashing across her eyes from the previous year when a 5 kilogram kettlebell was dropped, effectively bruising all her toes on her left foot. 

Suddenly a clack of metal rang throughout the room and a flash of red appeared causing Waverly’s eyes to widen. A few meters down, Nicole sat up with a flushed face as she wiped the sweat off her forehead taking a long drink from her water bottle. A few stray drops of water dripped from the rim onto her collarbone before disappearing underneath the redhead’s  _ tight  _ navy blue tank top which only served to accentuate the ripples of muscle as she stretched, promptly flexing her shoulders and bicep.

“You’re drooling~” Chrissy whispered into the smaller girl’s ear with a lilt. The brunette was about to reprimand her friend when she brought her hand up to her lips to find out that she had in fact actually drooled.

“Sorry.” She mumbled, wiping it off with the back of her sleeve. The blonde simply wiggled her eyebrows with a smirk. “I just-I knew she was fit but this…” She waved her hand slowly towards the direction of her girlfriend. “Is a bit…”

“ _ Haught _ and heavy?” Waverly glared at the smaller boy who had a similarly smug look before he decided to wave his arms up in the air. “Hey, why don’t we call her over? Nicky! Nic!”

“What are you doing?!” The young Earp hissed desperately trying to pull the boy’s arm down with no avail.

“You’ve got a girlfriend over here who looks kinda thirsty!” He sings followed by a yelp as the brunette smacked his arm pulling him away. But it was already too late. Nicole’s eyes shot open as she turned to the side and saw the adorable sight of her little angel repeatedly scolding and smacking the younger boy beside her. She flashed her dimples with a grin before sitting up and slowly heading towards the back to see Waverly. Wrapping her arms around the smaller girl’s frame she dropped her voice a bit as she mumbled into the brunette’s ear.

“I heard that you called for me?” the young Earp turned around with a glare as she tried to smother the giddy grin on her face.

“No, we were talking about my girlfriend who gives me cheesy flowers and flashes her dimples everytime she smiles. Not this studly, ripped, and insanely sexy person in front of me.”

“You like my dimples?” Nicole teases as her grin spreads wider. Waverly blushed and buried her face into the taller girl’s chest causing the redhead to let out a laugh as she clutched her tighter. That is, until she felt a wad of paper smack into the back of her head.

“Hey! That’s my sister you’re bumping nasties with!” Wynonna cuts through them making the redhead cringe at the term as the smaller girl laughs. 

“Be there in a sec, Wy.” They turn back and fall into a fit of giggles. 

“So...what are you doing here anyways?” Nicole smiles a bit as she dropped her hands down to rest them on her girlfriend’s hips. 

“Well...Sergeant Cho and Lieutenant Martinez have been using me for the military demonstrations ever since Freshman year along with Dolls who’s  _ actually  _ planning on joining the military. He’d be around here too but they just moved him to another room. Wynonna on the other hand is just here for the extra credit and a chance to skip class.” Waverly snorted as she smiled and nudged the taller girl good naturedly when a whistle sounded abruptly silencing all conversation. 

“Alright! Everyone listen up. Today we’ve got two great demonstrators for the task at hand. Earp here is going to be helping you all work different positions with the dumbbells-”

“Be prepared to get experimental.” Wynonna says with a smirk causing Sergeant Cho to shoot her a pointed look. The older Earp of course shrugged nonchalantly, uncaring that he looked as though he wanted to smear her face into the floor.

“And Haught will be guiding the rest of you in exercises with the bar. Okay, half of you take the left side and the rest of you take the right. Let’s get to it.”

The class split up into groups which was Nicole’s que to leave. She pressed a small kiss on top of the smaller girl’s head before detangling herself causing a small whine to leave from Waverly’s lips. The younger girl pouted much to the amusement of her girlfriend.

“Baby, I have to go now. You know that…”

“Yeah...I know…” But then the smaller girl brought her head up as an idea formulated in her mind. “Wait! Does this mean you’re going to workout with me?” Nicole rolled her eyes with a smile as Waverly raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

“Sadly, no. Wynonna called dibs on you and she is not someone to be reckoned with.” The young Earp groans just as another sharp blow of a whistle cuts through.

“Haught! You ready or what?”

“Yes sir. I’ll be right on over.” She threw her girlfriend a quick wink and jogged on over to her station. Waverly sighed when a hand clapped her shoulder abruptly startling the smaller girl before she turned around to see that it was Wynonna.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me baby girl.” The elder Earp said with a grin in reaction to Waverly’s slight scowl.

“Yay. Lucky me.” She deadpanned, not even the slightest bit amused.

“Hey, at least you get to hang out with your favorite sister!”

“The bar’s not set real high, Wyn.” Wynonna gave a mock gasp of offense before jokingly shoving the smaller girl’s shoulder.

“Meh. I’ll take it.” They shared a laugh as they walked hand in hand towards the rack of weights.  _ Maybe this isn’t so bad after all… _

* * *

The room was filled with the clacking of weights as Wynonna and Nicole picked up any loose weights left all over the floor. Even from the other end of the room, the redhead could hear the older Earp complaining.

“Underwire my ass! Swear this thing is trying to puncture my boob.” The taller girl simply rolled her eyes and headed over to help pick up the last of the free weights on the brunette’s side. 

“Thanks.” She mumbled to which Nicole simply gave an acknowledging nod. There were a few beats of silence between them as they sat up against the wall with their feet stuck out as Wynonna fidgeted with her fingers letting her eyes wander. “I mean, not just for the weights. You take care of Waverly too and I appreciate it.” The redhead’s eyes widened a bit as she attempted to process the words that just came out of the older Earp’s mouth.

“That's um, unexpected coming from you considering last time we...well you know  _ talked  _ talked was when you socked me in the jaw.”

“Yeah and I ain’t sorry either.” The taller girl scrunched her eyebrows but started to nod slowly.

“Fair enough.” Neither of them say anything for a few moments. The only sound that filled the empty weight room was the old whirring of the fan that went off in the background.

“Waverly...she’s great. And everyone loves her. But I need you to know that you’ll be there for her even if she doesn’t believe that and you will do everything in your power to keep her safe, loved, and free. And if you can’t, well Haughtshot, it’s either you don’t fear death or have really fast legs because I will break your face. Are we clear?” Wynonna extended her hand out to the redhead, gaze unwavering. In response, Nicole wore a similarly grave face as she firmly shook the older Earp’s hand.

“Wynonna, I would never hurt her intentionally. I want to do this right more than anything.”

“Ew.” The brunette remarked pulling back her hand with a scoff as she brushed her legs off to stand up before deciding to stick her hand out to help the taller girl up. “But also, you better.” Nicole smiled as she accepted her hand coming to a rise. With that, the older Earp claps a hand onto the redhead’s back and leads her out the door. “Come on, Haught. Let’s go hit Shorty’s.” Panic suddenly sweeps through the taller girl’s eyes as she fumbles around for words.

“Wha-I’m sorry. Um, what’s happening?”

“Pfft. I know you’ve got a stick up your ass now but come on. It’s legal now for you anyways. You’re eighteen right?” Nicole sputtered trying to jump start her brain, suddenly very scared as to what drinking with Wynonna would entail considering her last encounter with the drunken Earp seemed as though the brunette was totally wasted. 

“Uh, yeah I am Wynonna but I don’t think-”

“Look, I’m not very good at this ‘sister’ thing but I’ve just been thinking...I might as well get to know who my baby girl is bangin’ right?” Nicole’s nose scrunched at the word a bit as she cringed.

“Please never say that again.”

“Prude much? Fine! Call it whatever you want! Fucking, boning, or actually in your case, fin-” Nicole tosses a coat into her face with a huff as she tries to escape as fast as possible.

“Okay! You win! Let’s just go so I can get this over with.” Wynonna cackles in the background as she wraps her jacket around her waist, following Nicole close behind.

* * *

Each with cues in hand, the two of them circle around the table like sharks as they try to find the best position in hopes of taking the victory. Wynonna stuck her tongue out deep in concentration before promptly smacking the ball with just the right amount of force to send it bouncing off in all directions knocking balls one by one into the pockets. The older Earp cackled in triumph before taking a swig of whiskey as Nicole continued to sip on her iced tea. The brunette gave the taller girl a slanted look shaking her head.

“I don’t get it. You are  _ of age _ and  _ in a bar _ but you are drinking  _ that _ ?” She gestures at the drink in hand. The redhead only rolled her eyes as she definitely chugged the rest of it down.

“Hey, just because I’m eighteen doesn’t mean I’m automatically down to get wasted. I’ve been there, done that-”

“Haught damn! I knew you weren’t always a Disney Princess!” Nicole choked on the remnants of her drink already regretting coming here with Wynonna.

“ _ No.  _ I wasn’t always a Disney Princess. But you’ve got the near absent parents part down though.” The older Earp raised an eyebrow to that. Sometimes she forgot that Haught probably had more to her story than she let on.

“Well let's get a few drinks into you so you can continue that story.” She waved down the bartender asking for a few shots of tequila. The redhead looked down at the drink in contemplation. Last time she drank was at the party with Waverly and even then she only did so because of...complications. Wynonna gestured down at the drink in hand.

“Come on. I’m gonna get the story out of you whether you like it or not so you might as well have some booze to take the edge off.” Sighing the taller girl finally relented and tossed back the entire shot like it was nothing before reaching out to take the second one and emptying out that one as well. Slamming the shot glass down she let out a huff before looking at Wynonna pointedly who stood there with her jaw hung open.

“And here I thought you don’t drink!” She said gleefully like a kid meeting Santa Clause. The redhead laughed as her head already began to feel a bit fuzzy from the after effects.

“Nah, I usually don’t. That didn’t mean I never  _ did. _ ” The older Earp juts her chin out waiting for her to elaborate.

“Well that story’s a bit longer and I’ll tell you about it some other time.  _ But  _ I will tell you about my parents. Not that there’s much to say about them anyways. They weren’t around much. Well, at least my dad. I don’t know. It’s complicated with my mom. She was sick for a while and she died like last year but I was already living with my grandparents by then. I got into wrestling my Sophomore year. Coach Nedley said I’d be good for it. So I went to all the pre-season workouts and it turns out, he was right. So about a month later the official forms needed to be signed but my dad wouldn’t do it. He said that it wasn’t a sport for girls unless they were dykes.” Wynonna’s eyes narrowed at the wording in anger before she slid another shot to the taller girl who gratefully accepted it and drained it’s contents, continuing. “So I was frustrated because for the first time in a while, I’d finally found something that gave me purpose you know? So I figured, I might as well just come out anyways. Well, it didn’t go over very well. He laughed at first disbelieving that a child of his could possibly be a gay. He blamed it on a teenage phase and asked if it was because no guy asked me out yet. And I was like, pfft ya think? But my dumb ass decided that to just yell at him that I fricken slept with more girls than he had in his lifetime. So he slapped me across the face and told me that I didn’t have a place in his house. But I think my mom just didn’t know how to take it. With all the yelling and screaming going on, she probably didn’t even have a second to stop and think about it before I was shipped away to her parents house for them to ‘deal with’. She was fighting a losing battle with leukemia lymphoma...note on  _ was. _ ” The redhead finally let out a long breath before shaking her head trying to push away her thoughts. “Anyways. None of that matters now. I’m fine. Far,  _ far  _ away from my dad and I’ll be off to the Police Academy in no time.”

Wynonna shook her head in disbelief with just a hint of a smile. Perhaps it was true that everyone did have a story. She was abruptly brought out of her thoughts however as the taller girl slipped forward nearly falling out of the bar stool before the older Earp swiftly caught her mid-fall and grunted as she tried to hold her upright.

“Jesus Haught Potatoes. I think those back to back shots are getting to you.” Nicole threw her head back with a laugh as she tossed a lazy grin to Wynonna.

“Nah Wy. The floor’s jus’ movin’ funny. I could fricken take down troll if I had to.”

“Aaand that’s enough for you.” The brunette said, picking the shot glass out of the taller girl’s hands and finishing it off for her before slapping a wad of bills on the counter. She then turned to the redhead who was now swaying side to side  _ completely  _ off beat to the music in the background. 

“Haught! We gotta get you home dude. You need help walking or what?”

“Pfft, Wy, I’ve got this shit.” She took a lunge forward barely catching herself on the way down. “On second thought, mind if you get my other side?” Wynonna smirked at the comment as she walked over and hoisted the taller girl’s arm over her shoulder.  _ At least I’ve got good blackmail.  _

Kicking the open the double doors to Shorty’s Wynonna flashed a quick text telling Waverly she was going to need her to pick them up since she hadn’t exactly planned on how they were going to get back. The brunette herself wasn’t nearly as knocked out as Nicole but for the safety of the taller girl (and to avoid Waverly’s wrath) she figured it would be better to ask her to come pick them up.

But a few minutes passed and the young Earp still hadn’t responded.

_ Weird...it’s a Wednesday right? Waverly’s dance practice got cancelled today so just where the frick is she? _

Suddenly the brunette’s phone began to buzz and she saw that it was a call from Waverly. Quirking her eyebrows in confusion, she set Nicole on the bench and took the call only to squint her eyes in disbelief as she listened into the phone.

_ What the actual hell? _


End file.
